I Leave You, My Pride
by Wild Rhov
Summary: When Loke is killed in the Human World, Lucy solemnly accepts the duty of taking his place as the Zodiac Lion. However, Gray isn't ready to let her go, and he's prepared to do whatever it takes to bring her back from the Spirit World. GraLu tear-jerker.
1. Caged

_Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, which is probably a good thing. If Hiro Mashima did something like this in the manga, I would fly to Japan purely to slap his face. Please don't fly to Oregon to do the same to me._

* * *

**I Leave You, My Pride**

a _Fairy Tail_ fanfic

by Rhov

.

Chapter 1

**Caged**

The grave was empty. Everyone knew that even as they stood around it and listened to the funeral sermon. After all, the person it was meant for had not even been human, and he had no body left behind to put into the ground.

When Loke died, he simply faded from existence.

The entire black-clothed crowd kept glancing to Lucy. They knew this was hardest on her. Maybe she had not been there during the entire three years when he posed as a human, but Loke had been her loyal Celestial Spirit for a long time...some said they were "more than friends." She used to fiercely deny it while still blushing.

No one dared to tease her now.

Gray watched her a little closer than the others, and he had made sure to stand beside her during the prayers and sermon over the grave marker. He realized she was not crying. Her eyes, obscured by a black veiled hat, were empty. She stared at the tombstone as if it did not even exist. He knew full well that she had cried and raged for days after Loke's death. Now, nothing. Maybe her tears were all used up. Gray was not sure, but one thing was certain.

Something more was wrong with Lucy. She did not look merely grieving. She looked preoccupied, as if something even worse than losing her loyal friend was weighing on her mind.

* * *

**One Week Earlier**

Lucy could hardly believe this was happening. She once had a nightmare like this, yet here it was happening right in front of her.

"Loke!" she shrieked.

He laid on the ground, a gapping hole in his torso, particles of spirit energy already drifting into the air. On any normal fight, he would have simply slipped back into the Spirit World long ago. However, the runes wizard Lucy had been fighting was clever and knew precisely how to stop her. The box of glowing runes the two were trapped in forcefully kept them in that location with no ability to leave that space.

No ability for Lucy to call another Celestial Spirit.

No ability for Loke to leave the Human World before the injury killed him.

The runes wizard trapped her and Loke there, then walked away chuckling sadistically. He did not care if some Spirit died. They were tools, anyway. However, he reasoned that the pretty blonde girl was worth keeping as a ransom. She looked refined, probably from a rich family...a family who would pay to get her back. So instead of killing her as he had been ordered, he trapped her there, left her alone, and went off to help his friends finish off the pesky wizards of Fairy Tail.

Lucy pounded on the purple glowing runes, but it was impossible to break out. She focused on Loke instead. She knew things were getting worse when his powerful golden glow began to dim to a sickly green.

"Loke," she shuddered, but he only moaned, grimacing in pain. She hated to see him in such agony, and she knew that if he did not break out soon, he was going to die for real, trapped in Earthland. She pulled out the Lion's Key. "Close the Gate of the Lion. Close!" she screamed, thrusting immense amounts of magic into it.

"Lucy," Loke warned in a raspy breath. "The runes are solid. We can't break them. Please, don't kill yourself."

"You're going to die if I do nothing," she snapped, still gripping the key hard, her hair fluttering as she channeled in more magic.

"That's...going to happen anyway," he moaned. "Please...just hold me now. I don't want to be alone."

Lucy dropped the key as she saw his body waving in and out of existence. "No...it can't be happening."

Loke reached out with a pained smile. "Hold me...Lucy...please."

She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, as if she could hold his human form into something solid. She sniffled as tears poured down. "Loke, you can't die."

He laughed wryly. "If only...that...were true." He cringed and flinched in pain. "Dammit," he hissed.

Lucy drew upon all of her magic. "_Close the Gate of the Lion!_" she screamed. All around her, a massive circle of magic formed, and she shrieked at the sheer amount of energy she was using, yet she would not give up.

"Lucy, stop it," Loke yelled in fear. He could feel her affecting the very fabric of space within the runes, yet no gate opened. "Stop! You really will kill yourself."

Despite using every last bit of magic until she collapsed, nothing happened. "No way," she huffed wearily in disbelief. "No...why can't I...why am I not strong enough?"

"Lucy," Loke said, fading away more. "You could have opened and force-closed all twelve zodiac gates with that much magic. The runes can't be broken from the inside. This guy knew what he was doing. Still, I protected you. I took that shot and saved your life," he smiled. "I did my duty. For that...I'm thankful." He ended weakly but with a satisfied face. "As long as you're alive, as long as...as you can remember me...if I can bring you a smile from time to time, then my existence had meaning."

Lucy sobbed into his chest and stubbornly shook her head. "Don't say things like that. We'll get out of here. Natsu or Erza or Gray will come. They'll come for sure! Just hold on."

"I'm trying to, believe me," he whispered weakly. "Just...can't anymore. Lucy..."

He lifted her chin. She could barely feel his fingers now, more like a breeze that moved her face than an actual touch. Loke leaned forward and gave her a kiss. She felt the energy of his body radiating onto her, on her lips, in her mouth, all through her body, yet she felt no distinct touch of lips against her skin. When he leaned back to smile at her, Lucy saw the landscape behind his fading body, yet the emotions in his eyes still held strong.

"I love you, Lucy. Always have. Just wasn't in the stars, I guess." He chuckled weakly at that. "Don't die, and...don't forget me." He kept staring at her face as the particles drifted and his body slowly vanished.

"No," Lucy whispered in horror and disbelief. She reached out to him, but her hand went through his shoulder. "Loke...please no!"

"Live on, Lucy," he whispered, and suddenly even his face vanished.

Lucy felt the magic still around her. She sobbed uncontrollably, yet that spirit lingered just enough for her to feel caresses on her face, her lips, and dabbing her teary eyes. Eventually, not even that remained.

"Loke?" she whispered hesitantly.

She glanced around, hoping to see or hear or even _feel_ something. She sensed nothing. She looked at the key she had dropped, and the metal faded from gold to black. Her breath caught as she stared at the marred key. It was the final proof that Loke truly was gone.

"_Noooooo!_"

Lucy collapsed to the grass, curled into a ball, and wailed in grief as she hugged the Lion's Key to her chest.

* * *

It took half an hour before someone finally came. By then, the worst of her sobs were out of her system. Only hollow pain remained. That was when she heard running feet, then Gray's voice. He came into view, racing up a hill to where she was trapped, and skidded to a stop in front of the glowing runes.

"Lucy! Lucy, are you okay?"

She hardly acknowledged him, only a nod to assure him she was not injured too badly.

"I'll bring Levy. Stay here." Then Gray jumped up and ran back down the hill.

"Stay here?" she repeated in a wry mutter. "That's all I _can_ do, apparently...stay precisely here."

It took even longer for Levy to come, rewrite the runes, and free Lucy from her prison. Levy saw the agony in Lucy's pale face and feared for her friend, checking the blonde all over, thinking for sure she must be hiding injuries. There were only bruises and minor cuts.

Then a hand reached out to her. Lucy looked at the calloused fingers, followed up the muscular arm, over a naked chest, and up into eyes as gray-blue as a winter storm.

"Need some help up?" Gray offered, smiling down at her.

Grief turned to anger, and Lucy slapped at his hand. Gray recoiled, shocked at the fury in her eyes, and even Levy leaned back a little.

Bitterly, Lucy whispered, "You guys are already too late to help." Then she jumped up to her feet and ran off in tears.

* * *

Their group eventually left back to Magnolia on a train. Juvia and Levy had joined their usual team for this mission. Erza knocked Natsu unconscious when his moaning and vomiting upset the passengers. Happy raided the dining car. Juvia was chasing Gray around. Levy had dozed off after nearly draining her magic fighting that pesky runes dark wizard.

Lucy did something she normally never did. She hit the bar and ordered the strongest drink she knew.

She had hoped to numb herself, maybe even pass out without Erza's gauntlet-enforced punch. She just wanted to vanish. On her sixth drink, just as she was feeling the blissful numb tingles of inebriation, Gray came in and sat beside her, panting hard as if he had been running, with a layer of sweat shimmering on his nearly-naked body.

"Damn, that woman is persistent," he gasped through labored breaths.

Lucy stared into the colorful contents of her glass and gently swirled the liquid. "You should appreciate Juvia more."

"Well, I don't hate her, she's a strong wizard and a good person, but her personality..."

"Even bad personalities can be forgiven," Lucy mumbled, her voice starting to slur. "Even if they're annoying, and they flirt with you all the time, and they confess their love only to go on dates with other women..." _Hiccup!_ "...even that can be forgiven."

Gray looked over in confusion. Lucy was smashed, and he wondered what was the cause. Then he saw that the hand not holding her tumbler glass was tightly clutching her keyring. He was about to ask about the new black key when he recognized the shape and zodiac symbol: the Key to the Gate of the Lion. Why was it black? Did that mean Loke was no long contracted to her? Gray had to admit, he knew absolutely nothing about celestial magic.

"Did you and Loke have a fight?"

Lucy's knuckles gripping that darkened key turned pale white, contrasting severely against the ebony metal. "He's gone," she croaked out.

"Gone?" Gray asked in confusion. He did not think Celestial Spirits could leave.

She suddenly tipped the glass back to her mouth, gulped the last of the vile contents, then slammed the tumbler hard enough to crack the glass. Her head whipped over to the Ice-Make wizard, and Gray saw tears staining her pinkened lids.

"Yes, gone! Dead! He took a shot for me, and then that fucking runes wizard trapped him in the Human World to die. That bastard didn't care that he...he was just a Spirit. He couldn't have even fought anymore, not injured that badly. He could have...have gone back." Lucy hiccuped and sniffed at the same time. "Loke died, Gray. In my arms. And there wasn't a damn thing I...that I...could..."

She suddenly passed out.

* * *

Lucy awoke in her bedroom. Immediately, she saw Gray and Natsu standing at the foot of her bed, with Happy sitting in the window looking sad. Lucy sensed magic, and then she realized Wendy was beside her, casting some healing magic that was easing the agony of the hangover Lucy knew she should be feeling. Erza guarded the door to her bedroom, but what was most shocking was seeing Makarov sitting in a chair beside the bed.

"Master?" Lucy whispered groggily. She felt ashamed now at her weakness and drunken misbehavior.

The tiny white-haired man began softly, "First, let me say that drowning yourself in alcohol is not the way a Fairy Tail wizard handles sadness. Drinking for fun, for celebration, for competitions with Cana, that's fine. Drinking to hide from the pain of loss is for cowards. Don't ever do that to your body again, Lucy."

She closed her eyes and only silently lipped, "Yes, sir."

"Very good. Now...is it true about Loke?" he asked with a hint of sadness he was obviously trying to hide.

Hearing his name brought a new level of grief to Lucy. Instantly, tears sprang to her eyes. "I'm sorry, Master," she sputtered between jolting sobs. "I tried everything. I really tried!"

"You're a loyal friend and a good owner to your Spirits, Lucy-chan," Makarov assured, stroking her head like a father caring for a child. "I'm sure you did everything physically possible to save him. It's of no comfort to say 'these things happen,' but death is a possibility to everyone who takes a mission. We know this and accept it. It's no different for Loke. He might have been contracted as your Spirit, but he was a Fairy Tail wizard for many years, hardened through countless battles. He knew the risks." The small master frowned. "Still, this is a hard loss on all of us, you especially. I'll inform the rest of the guild. We'll have a funeral next week. It's the least we can do to honor Loke's memory."

Makarov exited the room, Erza followed, and Wendy also left. Natsu slouched in the window, staying put but staring out at the nearby river. His eyes were narrow, his brow tight, and Lucy realized he probably would have been crying if he thought it would be of any use. Once everyone else was gone, Gray sat beside her and took Lucy's hand.

"It's not your fault," the Ice-Make wizard told her softly. "Levy said no one could have broken out of those runes from the inside, not even Master."

"I still got caught," she whispered hollowly. "I was too weak, too slow. Loke had to take that shot for me."

"That was his choice and his duty. He couldn't let you die."

She glared up acridly. "But I let him die."

"You didn't _let him_," Gray argued softly. "You said so yourself; you did everything possible."

Lucy flipped over to hide her face in her pillow, and she covered her ears to block out those painful words of encouragement. "It's my fault. It's _my_ fault!" she shrieked.

Gray grabbed her shoulder hard. "Lucy, stop it!"

Natsu interrupted them. "Gray," he said in a soft yet firm voice.

The ice user glared over at the dragon slayer, but Natsu tipped his head to the window, silently telling him that they should leave. Gray sighed as he eyed Lucy. Natsu was probably right; Lucy needed time alone to mourn. She had to work through her grief, and that included a sense of guilt. Gray knew that feeling all too well from when Ur died to protect him and Lyon. He knew guilt could eat a person from the inside, and often the only thing you wanted was to be alone.

Gray slowly rose and gazed at the blonde lying face-down in bed. "We're here for you, Lucy," he assured quietly. "When you're ready, we'll be here for you the whole time. Anything you need at all, just ask." He heard sobs in the pillow, so he turned away and followed Natsu toward the door.

"Gray," she said softly, and the raven-haired boy paused in the doorway to look back at her. Lucy's face was still buried in pillows, but he heard her muffled words clearly. "Why did you take so long to find me? If you had come sooner, Loke would still be alive."

Gray felt stabbed by her accusation.

"Lucy!" Natsu shouted in shock and anger.

Gray swung his hand out to stop the dragon slayer. "No, it's okay," he said softly. It took Gray only a few seconds to move past the verbal slap. "If you need to blame someone, then blame me for not coming to your rescue fast enough. Just don't blame yourself, Lucy. You're not at fault. Remember that." Then he turned and pulled Natsu along with him.

Although Natsu followed, his brow was still tense in emotional confusion. Once they were out of earshot, he asked angrily, "You're leaving it like that?"

Gray's eyes were hard but filled with pity. "If she needs a punching bag, I'll let her take all of her anger out on me. If she needs someone to blame, I'll let her think I killed Loke with my bare hands, and if she needs a shoulder to cry on, I won't complain even if she uses my hair as a tissue to blow her nose. If that's what she needs, I can do that much. You should be ready for it, too."

"I guess so," Natsu realized, remembering other moments when Lucy clung to him in sadness, fear, and relief. "But there's no way she's using my scarf as a tissue!"

* * *

The rest of that day was a blur to Lucy. She stayed inside for many hours, just crying. When her eyes felt empty, she left the house to wander off, looking around the city with a blank face. Seeing the bathhouse reminded her of when she and Loke shared some flavored milk there. She walked by a restaurant he treated her to once after a hard mission. She came across one of the girls he used to date, now married with kids in tow. Too many reminders!

She went out into the woods just outside of Magnolia, hoping to seek some solitude. She followed a trail up a hill, then through a ravine carved out by a stream, and finally to a small waterfall. The ravine walls were covered in moss and shimmered from the constant spray of icy water. Lucy felt the mist drift onto her face, cold against the stinging hot tears that flowed down.

"I'm sorry, Loke," she whispered into the misty spray. "If I could take your place, I would rather die and let you live. It's not right for a Celestial Spirit to give his life for a Human. I'll live seventy or eighty more years, if I'm lucky. Whereas this world has now lost Leo the Lion." She shuddered with repressed sobs and shook her head. "A single human life isn't worth that huge of a sacrifice. How am I supposed to live, knowing you died for me? Loke!" She burst into fresh tears. "I want you back, Loke," she wailed. "Please, come back!"

Her scream echoed in the ravine and came back to her, sounding as powerless as her shouts had been inside those runes. Her head dropped, and she watched her tears joining the moist spray from the waterfall.

"If I could only take your place..."

Then she felt time itself stop. She had a feeling he would come. Lucy straightened her shoulders to meet the Spirit King fearlessly, determined to accept his judgment and receive any punishment.

"**Lucy Heartfilia!**"

She had not expected such anger to boom out so suddenly. The massive Spirit's thunderous voice overwhelmed her and brought Lucy to her knees. He appeared a moment later, towering higher than the ravine walls, his mustache taking up the entire breadth of the gorge.

"How could you, a powerful celestial wizard, owner of ten Gold Keys, allow one of your Spirits to die?" the king roared in fury.

"Because I'm not powerful," she whispered. "I'm weak. I allowed us to get caught and imprisoned by the enemy. Loke couldn't escape..."

"His death is your fault!"

She felt that way too, but hearing someone else accuse her, instead of constantly assuaging her, hurt deeper than she thought possible. She found herself with her mouth open, trying to breathe, yet too shocked and frozen to inhale.

"Not in many centuries has a wizard allowed a Spirit to die. It is even more reprehensible than a Spirit killing its owner. The punishment for such abominable misuse is severe. You will be stripped of your keys."

Lucy looked up in horror. "What?"

"All of them!" the Spirit King roared. "Nor shall you ever own a key again...except one."

"One?" she echoed.

Her mind instantly began to calculate. Out of all her keys, if she had to pick only one to keep, who would it be? A Gold Key, definitely. She wondered if Aries would even trust her anymore. Aquarius was the strongest besides Leo, but the mermaid also had a penchant for trying to drown Lucy. Taurus was powerful in a fight. She had worked with him on many missions. Scorpio was super powerful too, and at least his manners were better than the pervy Bull. Cancer and Sagittarius were versatile, plus both held close memories: she inherited Cancer's key from her mother, and Sagittarius was tied with memories of Galuna Island. However, with Gemini she could do Uranometria, and that was powerful enough to beat just about any enemy. Virgo had numerous uses beyond digging, and if this punishment meant she had to retire from being a Fairy Tail wizard, then having a maid around the house could be handy. However, she felt like she should keep Capricorn in honor of her mother's memory and his oath to look after Layla's family.

"Yes, one," the Spirit King intoned. "The heavens are ruled by a sense of balance. Tip that balance, and all falls into chaos. Since ancient times, when the first Spirit made the first pact with a Human, there has always been an understanding: if a Celestial Spirit dies in the Human World, a human must take its place."

Lucy's blood suddenly went cold. He was joking...right? Was that even possible?

"Take out the Key to the Gate of the Lion," the Spirit King ordered.

Slowly, Lucy reached to her keyring and pulled off the blackened key. The Spirit King's eyes began to glow bright red, and Lucy felt a tingle, first in her chest right over her heart, then spreading all through her body. She gasped as she felt like everything in her was changing. She could feel the differences. Her blood was turning into something else. She felt time differently. The air around her tasted harsh, almost like breathing poison. She ached...so badly! She wanted to scream, yet even that was something she could not do as her body and spirit were being remade and reborn.

The weirdest sensation was to her magic. She sensed a different magic...familiar magic. She sensed Loke so strongly, it made her want to reach out and touch him. Then that magic concentrated in her hands, glowed in a brilliant light, and took the form of many rings on her fingers. They were more delicate than the thick rings Loke had worn, but she sensed the same magic in them. She saw the key in her hand turn from black to gold again and gleam with renewed magic and fresh energy. Lucy felt stronger physically, like she could punch a hole into a brick wall. She even laughed as the magical surge waned and the new power felt more solid.

Then she looked down and gasped in shock. Even her clothes had changed. She wore the same black boots, but now her short skirt was black leather. She wore a stylish white blouse, a tie around her neck, and a black suit coat identical to Loke's. She looked down at her hands. She still had the Fairy Tail symbol on her hand, but now she wore feminine versions of Loke's rings.

"You are no longer Lucy Heartfilia," the Spirit King intoned. "You are the new Leo, Spirit of the Lion."

"I'm...a Celestial Spirit?" she asked uncertainly.

His red eyes narrowed. "Do you doubt me?"

Lucy saw a gold gate take shape in front of her. She gulped hard. She had seen this gate once, when Loke was finally allowed to return to the Spirit World. Now she could sense what was behind it. She pushed on the glowing gate, and it swung open for her. On the other side, she saw orbs of stars and giant crystalline formations. As Lucy slowly walked inside, the pain of being in the Human World faded. She sensed the intense power in this world, something that would kill a human not wearing protection. However, to Lucy, it felt like a relaxing hot bath, soaking in pure energy. It was the Human World that had felt so empty and void.

"Lucy-dono?"

She looked fast to the voice and saw Sagittarius nearby with Aries.

"Lucy!" Aries yelled. "Then...then the rumors about Leo..."

Lucy was about to apologize when the Spirit King laid a hand on her shoulder. "Signal all the Zodiacs," he ordered.

Sagittarius bowed. "Yes, my king. I will instantly, as it were, moshi-moshi."

Quickly, Sagittarius shot an arrow into the sky, and it flew like a fiery comet. Within minutes, nine other gold flashes appeared, and the entire twelve Zodiacs were gathered. Lucy looked around at all of them. Many she knew closely, others she had only seen a few times, on her visit to the Spirit World and at the Grand Magic Games.

"The rumors are true," the Spirit King informed them. "Leo is dead." Lucy heard Aries sniffle back a sob. "Lucy is the new Lion. As of now, those of you contracted to Lucy Heartfilia are free of your bonds. _Leo_ will be sent back to the Human World to find good owners for Lucy's previous Spirits."

"Leo?" Lucy whispered. "Don't call me Leo."

The Spirit King made a questioning hum. "Mm? But you are now Leo..."

"Don't call me by his name!" she screamed, and Lucy began to cry again. "How can I accept a title like Leo the Lion when I caused his death?"

"Che!" scoffed Aquarius. "Bastard king, did you tell her his death was her fault?"

The King only lifted his head a bit at the mermaid's cantankerous attitude.

"I'm sorry, all of you," Lucy whispered, bowing her head low. "I'm obviously the worst owner ever."

Aries walked up and patted Lucy's arm. "He died protecting you, didn't he?"

Lucy gasped out a noisy sob as the tears fell so thickly, they dropped straight from her lowered eyes down to the crystalline floor. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry I failed him," she wailed.

"Lucy," Aries said gently. "Leo is a spirit of protection. The Lion fights for the protection of the owner. That was his duty. And that...is your duty now. I'm sorry."

"That's right," Libra nodded. "It is a weighty duty, one Leo gave every gram of energy into fulfilling."

Scorpio also smiled at her in forgiveness. "We are honored to fight for our owners."

"Moshi-moshi!" Sagittarius said, saluting. "We live and die to protect our human master, as it were."

"Big shoes to fill, being Leo," Aquarius warned. "If you want to honor his memory, fulfill your duty as Leo the Lion with the same valor he showed. Take his name with pride."

Capricorn gave Lucy a gentle smile. "I can still fulfill your mother's wish by serving you here in the Spirit World."

"We already love Princess," Virgo said, "so we will continue to follow the new Leo as our leader."

Gemini laughed. "Piri-piri! From princess to queen of beasts!"

Cancer bowed and spread his crab legs out in a humble flourish. "Hail the new Zodiac Leader."

Pisces swam in circles around their group. "Hail the new Leader!"

Taurus roared out happily. "Hail the new Leader's boobs!"

Lucy laughed and sniffled that her friends were all accepting her, not blaming her. "All right, then. I promise to do my best. I'll find us all a good master."

"We should celebrate," the Spirit King boomed.

"Ah, no!" Lucy warned quickly. "Time flows differently in this world, remember? If I'm not back soon, I'm going to miss Loke's funeral."

"That's true," he realized. "You're not powerful enough to open your own gate yet, so allow me." A golden door shimmered in front of her. "This is how it will look when you are summoned. Whenever you see the door, stop whatever you are doing and go through instantly."

"It's a rule," Aquarius added. "A damn annoying one. You have no idea how many dates you've interrupted."

"Walk through," the Spirit King told her. "When you enter again, you will not be allowed to leave until your new owner summonses you."

Lucy looked at the gate. "Which means it's my last time to see all my friends in Fairy Tail."

The Spirit King nodded. "Arrange your affairs, say your goodbyes, and return when a new owner is found. You have only a few days before you'll start to feel the pain."

"Good luck!" Gemini cheered.

Lucy took a deep breath, like she was about to leap into the deep ocean. Then she stepped through the Lion's Gate.

**End of Chapter 1**

* * *

_A/N: Did you cry? Tell me if you cried. I cried!_

_Many people have asked me to write a GraLu story where Gray actually gets Lucy. This will be GraLu, lemony, but still... I love playing with Gray's tender heart, I can't help it. He gets cuter as he has to battle his own emotions. Lucy has quite a battle ahead of her too, now that she's a Celestial Spirit._


	2. The Accidental Contract

Chapter 2

**The Accidental Contract**

Sparkling brilliance enveloped Lucy. She felt lightness, like floating. For a few seconds, she could see the land in which she was about to arrive, the same ravine with a thin waterfall. The sky looked different, though, more cloudy. It was definitely a different day. Time seemed to be stopped as she felt solid ground under her feet. Then the water kept falling, she heard birds singing, and she felt the mist on her cheeks. She could also sense the lack of energy in this world. She could truly feel her own energy being leeched away.

"It's as if Earthland is hungry for a taste of the heavens and wants to devour me," she whispered.

"Indeed, it's like that."

"_Kyaa!_" In a jolt, Lucy looked behind her and saw the pink-haired maid. "Virgo, what are you doing here?"

"I came to help Leo as my punishment."

"Help him?"

"Her."

"Huh?"

"You."

Lucy felt a vein throbbing in her forehead before she realized what Virgo meant. "Oh, right. I'm...I'm Leo the Lion now."

She looked down at the Lion's Key..._her_ key. The pain of losing her dear friend came back to her, but now she felt a bit of determination, too. Loke told her to live and not forget him. She would honor his memory and his sacrifice by serving in his place.

"Still," Lucy decided, "don't call me Leo here. People will question that, and I don't want my friends to know yet."

"I can call you Lion."

"No, that's practically the same thing," she sighed.

"Queen?"

"Hell no! Why not Princess like you normally do?"

"Lucy Heartfilia was my owner, my Princess. You are not my owner. You are Leo the Lion, Queen of Beasts, Leader of the Ecliptic Zodiacs."

Lucy cringed under all those incredibly lofty titles. "No wonder Loke could get a bit conceded. Then call me your leader."

"As you wish, Leader."

"Right. So then, let's walk back to Magnolia." Lucy automatically began to reach for her keys when she froze. "Oh...that's right. I guess I can't call out Plue to walk with me like I usually do."

"True, Leader," Virgo confirmed. "You have no contracts now, nor can you make any new ones. I can put on a dog collar and leash, if it will make Leader happier."

Lucy cringed at the eagerness in Virgo's voice. "N-No...it's okay, really."

Lucy walked back to Magnolia and quickly realized that a few days must have past during that short time she was in the Spirit World. When she got to her home, she was greeted by Natsu running right at her almost as soon as she unlocked the front door.

"Lucy! Where have you been?" the pink-haired dragon slayer cried out, strangling her in a powerful hug. "We looked everywhere. I followed your scent into the forest, but it vanished. Are you okay?" He suddenly let her go and drew back fast. "Why do you smell so different?"

"Different shampoo," she lied fast. _Crap, can he really smell that I've changed?_ "Natsu, what day is it?"

He still stared hesitantly at her, and she saw his nose working as he tried to sort out what type of change had happened to her. "It's Thursday. The funeral is in two days. Everyone's been wanting to talk to you, find out what exactly happened, but you vanished."

"Maybe that's a good thing," she muttered. The last thing she wanted to do was relive what happened to Loke.

"Some said you might have left town. Others said you might have...done something drastic." He gulped at the fear of losing her, and Lucy saw the worry that must have nagged him for days. "You're not gonna leave, are you?"

She knew her face flinched at the question. For a moment, she debated about telling him. Natsu was her best friend, the man who brought her into Fairy Tail. He deserved to know. However, she also knew that if she said anything, he would fight against the decision. Right now, she still needed to grieve, not argue. Besides, she had no idea how to tell him, or anyone. She was not all that sure if she _wanted_ Fairy Tail to oppose the change. She strongly felt that she should take on Loke's duties as penitence for not being able to save his life. So she did the next best thing: she avoided the question.

"Natsu, I'm going to be really busy today. I'll go to the guild tomorrow and talk to everyone then, okay? I just need some time alone."

He still looked worried, but he nodded and left out her window. Lucy then strode into the middle of her living room and looked around. Rarely did she really _look_ at her home, at the placement of the furniture, the color of the floor rugs, the way the light slanted through the window, and the scratch marks that were still on the wall from when Happy sharpened his claws.

"I'll have to leave all this behind, won't I?" she whispered.

"Not at all," Virgo informed her. "The Lion's mansion is quite large. Brother was known to bring back items from the Human World all the time. If Leader wishes, I can begin packing your things and move them into the mansion."

Lucy looked around again. "No, only some things. I want to take my stories, at least, and the letters to my mother. Maybe my clothes...no, I guess I'll have celestial clothes when living in the Spirit World. I don't need my furniture, and I'll probably leave my books to Levy. I'll sell what I can and use the money to pay for regular up-keeping of my parents' graves." She sighed again as the truth began to sink into her. "It's like planning for my death. Maybe I should write a will. At the least, I need to write a letter to explain everything to everyone. I really don't think I can tell them the truth. They'll try to convince me not to go, and if anyone does that...I'm not so sure I'll be able to leave," she confessed with a sigh.

Virgo tipped her head to the side. "Does Leader regret being made the Lion?"

"I'm not sure yet," she admitted. "It hasn't sunk in. I just know I'm not ready to say a proper goodbye. It's cowardly, but I think it's better to leave behind a letter. Then I can slip away after the funeral and not have to see anyone cry over me, or hear them shouting not to go. A cowardly Lion," she laughed sadly. "I also need to find a good owner. I don't even know how to begin. There aren't many celestial wizards in Fiore anymore, and none I trust enough to hand over all of my keys...especially my own." She shivered to think of her key landing in the hands of someone like Duke Everlue or Karen Lilica. "That should be my main focus, but...but right now I really want to sort out my own life," she decided with a heavy sigh as she looked around again. "Then tomorrow I want to spend the day with everyone. The day after that is Loke's funeral. After that, though...yes, after that, then I can find the right person."

That was what she told herself, yet as Virgo packed her things, Lucy could not focus. She ended up sitting by the window, staring out at the river and watching the boatmen drift up and down the canal. She gazed at the puffy white clouds in the sky, watching birds flying by in flocks, as if she might never see such sights again. She saw a family walk past her building, a mother and father with a small child holding onto both parents' hands. A tear slipped down her cheek. She used to dream of finding love, marrying, and raising a family. That was no longer an option.

That also made Lucy think of a certain man.

"Virgo, I'm heading out," she called as she automatically grabbed her keyring and hooked it onto her belt. She paused and looked down at them. It was such a habit to simply grab them before going anywhere. Now she realized it was useless. She could not call on any of them anyway. "Still, I need to guard them for now," she decided, then headed out of her apartment.

She walked briskly through the streets. All the time, she wondered silently if she would be able to walk down this street again. She looked at a bakery she had always wanted to try and wondered if she would ever get the chance. She saw a book in a shop window, part of a romance series she had been meaning to read yet never found the time. She also walked by a shoe store with some leather boots she had lamented to Levy about just a week ago, wishing she could afford the shoes yet lacking the money. There were so many things she had always dreamed of doing yet never had the time. Now her time was severely limited. Just what she was about to give up began to weigh on her more and more.

She finally reached an apartment in a cheap area of town. It was probably the only area in Magnolia where seeing a half-naked man standing on the roof did not cause the neighbors any alarm.

"Hey Gray," Lucy called up, shielding her eyes against the sun as she looked up at the ice wizard in the midst of some strange sort of training. "Can I talk with you?"

"Lucy!" he cried out in shock. "Where have you been? I'll be right down. Let yourself in."

By the time she climbed up the stairs and reached his apartment room, Gray had just swung the door open. She stepped in and gave a cursory look around. The place was never really clean, yet never totally cluttered, not like Natsu's house. It was rather bare, only a minimum of furniture, enough for a bachelor, rarely any dust or litter, some scattered weights, a few books, but an explosion of clothing. It was also almost always freezing cold in here, and Lucy automatically walked to a thermostat to turn down the air conditioner.

"I'll make tea," Gray offered, grabbing up clothes and tugging them on as he went.

"No, I won't be long," she said.

"Natsu was going apeshit over you disappearing."

She looked down at the rings on her fingers. "Yeah, sorry about that. Something came up. Look, Gray...I need to apologize."

"I wasn't the one destroying the guild because I couldn't _smell_ you anywhere."

"No," she laughed, totally able to imagine Natsu doing something that drastic. It pained her to wonder what Natsu might do when he found out that she was going to be leaving all of them to live in the Spirit World. "I mean when I blamed you for Loke's death. It wasn't your fault. I was totally out of line, and I shouldn't have said such a cruel thing."

Gray drew closer, and she was suddenly concerned when he walked right up in front of her body. "Lucy," he said gently.

She gulped hard as he leaned over, closer and closer to her face...and planted a kiss on her forehead. Not exactly what she had thought he was about to do, but still a bit surprising. It made her cheeks blush hotly.

"I know you were hurting. You needed to lash out. I'm not stupid enough to take something like that as offensive. You were sad and in pain. I want to help you through any hardships you have, even if that means being your punching bag."

"It was still childish," she pouted, looking away from the intensity in his blue eyes. "It's also something Loke wouldn't have liked. He trusted you a lot, Gray. I...trust you." She looked down, and her eyes landed on the gold and silver keys. "If I do something wrong, I have to deal with it on my own. I have to take responsibility, not shove it over onto someone else. That's the...the _noble_ thing to do." Her fists tightened, and she felt the coldness of the rings on her fingers. "I have to live with the consequences of my actions."

"You're not at fault," Gray assured her, squeezing her shoulders.

"Who's to blame doesn't matter anymore. What's done is done."

Although that sort of acceptance was emotionally healthy, Gray heard something else in her voice, a fatalistic tone that troubled him. He watched as Lucy drifted over to the window. He could see the troubles playing over her face, making her jaw clench, furrowing her brow, bringing a pink lining to her eyelids as she fought against tears. He watched her from the center of the room, giving her space to sort out her emotions.

"Hey Gray," she said with a distant gaze as she looked out at the blue sky peeking through his window. "If something were to happen to me and I had to put my life into someone else's hands, who would be the best choice?"

"Me," he answered instantly.

Lucy rolled her eyes a little. "I'm serious."

"So am I," he said sternly.

She glared as if daring him. "If I had to put my life into your hands for the rest of your life..."

"Even better," he smiled. When he saw that his fast answers were frustrating her, Gray sighed softly. "Lucy, I'm not an idiot. I can see something is going on with you, and I can see by your face, you don't want to talk about it yet. Whatever it is, whatever trouble you might be in for Loke's death, I'll protect you."

She lashed out, "Even if it's for the rest of your life?"

Gray walked up to her, stood right in front of the blonde, and gazed down solidly into her brown eyes. "I swear I'll protect you, Lucy...for as long as I live."

Lucy suddenly felt heat coming from her side. She inhaled sharply and looked down at her keys. One was glowing, and she instinctively knew which. She placed her hand over the keyring to hide the glow from him, then she swallowed hard as she realized she must have just entered into a contract with—of all people—Gray Fullbuster.

"Lucy."

The depth of his airy voice startled her. She took a step back, suddenly terrified of him.

"Don't run away," he ordered.

She was stunned that his command forced her feet from moving. This only confirmed Lucy's fears. Somehow, without Gray even realizing it, they had come into a contract. His orders now had to be obeyed. She sensed that truth as if it was an undeniable fact of her existence. He was her owner, and she had to obey his wishes.

Gray wrapped his arms around her, and Lucy stood stiffly in his embrace. "I know you're still emotionally torn up over this. There were..._rumors_ about you and Loke."

"They weren't true," she snapped, but her voice faded as her breathing quickened.

"That's good," he laughed nervously. "I was worried that maybe you two...no, never mind," he muttered, letting the subject go in case it caused her pain or regret. "I know it's a bad time..."

"Please don't say it," she hissed through clenched teeth. Her whole body was shivering, wishing she could run away, but his command stayed her feet.

Gray looked down at her tensed body. However, his determination did not falter. "Sorry, but I have to."

"Gray..." She felt panic rising fast.

"I like you, Lucy."

The tension in her muscles snapped, and she almost felt like falling to the ground.

"I like you a lot," he smiled, caressing her stunned face. "So if you're ever in any trouble, come to me. We'll face it together."

He smiled at the shock in her huge eyes. He knew it was sudden, it was terrible timing, but he had been bottling those feelings for far too long. Now at least she knew, and she could either avoid him or—hopefully—come to him for comfort.

Lucy's head dropped. "You're not making this easy on me," she whispered so softly, she was unsure if he could even hear her. Still, hearing his confession made her smile. She would have to tell Mirajane. She knew the woman had a betting pool going on about who would confess first, Natsu or Gray. Lucy took in an unsteady breath and raised her eyes. "I'll take you up on your offer," she said, knowing she had no choice now. She and Gray were contracted already. "I'll talk to you after the funeral. I should be okay until then."

"Let me know if anything happens," he insisted. Then Gray leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

Lucy swallowed hard and nodded, allowing a hesitant smile that refused to be buried under all her worries. Then she drifted away, went out his door, and wandered back into the street crowd. She eventually arrived at her home and saw Virgo had almost everything packed away.

"My clothes too?" Lucy realized. "I had planned on just giving those away."

"Brother liked having Human clothes around," the Maiden told her. "I thought Leader might find solace in clothes, too."

"I guess you packed my underwear," Lucy mumbled.

Virgo bowed stiffly. "I left two changes of underwear for Leader, and I brought two more suits. The celestial clothes will help you during your stay in the Human World. I'll accept punishment if I brought clothes Leader does not like."

Lucy looked at the two outfits. One was similar to the suit dress she was currently wearing, the other was pure black, very conservative, and included a hat with a black veil. Funeral clothes.

"It'll do," she decided. "Now I need to sort out who gets my things."

"Including the gate keys?"

Lucy looked down at the collection of gold and silver keys. "No, I already have a new owner. He's not a celestial wizard, but Gray will take care of all of us."

"The naked one?" Virgo asked, then tipped her head to the side in query. "Is this punishment?"

Lucy had to laugh at that. "Maybe so, Virgo. Maybe so."

**End of Chapter 2**


	3. A Lion's Love

_A/N: I received concerns from young readers and people who don't like lemons, so there are page breaks separating the bedroom scene from the chapter ending. If you want to skip the "naughty part," when you get to the page break where they stumble into Gray's apartment, just skip to the next page break. I hope that helps people to enjoy this story without feeling uncomfortable due to explicit content. For all you pervs out there...enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 3

**A Lion's Love**

The grave was empty. Everyone knew that even as they stood around it and listened to the funeral sermon. After all, the person it was meant for had not even been human, and he had no body left behind to put into the ground.

When Loke died, he simply faded from existence.

The entire black-clothed crowd kept glancing to Lucy. They knew this was hardest on her. Maybe she had not been there during the entire three years when he posed as a human, but Loke had been her loyal Celestial Spirit for a long time...some said they were "more than friends." She used to fiercely deny it while still blushing.

No one dared to tease her now.

Gray watched her a little closer than the others, and he had made sure to stand beside her during the prayers and sermon over the grave marker. He realized she was not crying. Her eyes, obscured by a black veiled hat, were empty. She stared at the tombstone as if it did not even exist. He knew full well that she had cried and raged for days after Loke's death. Now, nothing. Maybe her tears were all used up. Gray was not sure, but one thing was certain.

Something more was wrong with Lucy. She did not look merely grieving. She looked preoccupied, as if something even worse than losing her loyal friend was weighing on her mind.

* * *

After the funeral, the crowd went to the guild hall for drinks. There were no wild parties this time, no crazy music and boisterous drinking contests. There were whispers of "I still can't believe he's gone," sudden bursting into tears, people praising Loke, talking about fights they had seen him win, times they dueled against him when he posed as a human, and for the girls, the times he had flirted with them, all told with bittersweetness. Even Erza admitted she would miss his attempts at flirting with her...although she nearly killed him for doing it.

People wanted to hear Gray talk about Loke being his partner, but for the Ice-Make wizard, talking about the past was pointless. It hammered in the sadness, which he did not want at this moment, not when he was more worried for Lucy. He drank to numb the sorrow—he could mourn another day—and kept an eye on the black-clothed woman with her blonde hair shining against such morbid clothes. Lucy sat alone. It seemed that no one was really sure how to talk with her, and she avoided eye contact with everyone.

_Like a widow at a funeral_, a few whispered, but Gray did not see that in her. He saw someone focused within, troubled by other thoughts than this funeral without a body.

Lucy looked even more pale in the black clothes and veiled hat. It was wrong of him to think this way, especially on a day like this, but Gray could barely help but think that black looked sexy on Lucy. He pushed that thought aside for the moment. She had finally stood up, and she was coming his way.

Lucy whispered to Gray to come with her. He rose and followed without questions, sincerely hoping she would tell him what plagued her mind so badly, she had not cried one tear during such a touching sermon. They walked through the crowd of mourners to a storage room where they could shut a door and block out the noise. Once alone, Lucy let out a soft sigh. Her face flinched for a moment, as if she was hiding pain. Again, Gray felt tugging concern for her.

Lucy reached her hand out, clutching something hidden within her fingers. Uncertain, Gray presented his palm. A cold and heavy item dropped into his hands. Gray looked down at the golden key, then stared up in confusion. For a moment, the post-funeral gathering in the guild hall faded away. Only this storage room existed, and his only vision was of Lucy and the gold trinket sitting in his hand.

"Loke's key?" he asked in confusion.

"The Key to the Gate of the Lion. My key now," she said softly.

"Yours? I don't get it. How...?"

Lucy held her fist up, and it glowed golden. "Do you need me to punch something to show you? I'm not really strong yet, but I can do this much."

Gray recognized that glow. "That's Loke's magic." Then he noticed the rings adorning her fingers. "And his rings." He had been partners with Loke, close friends even back when the Celestial Spirit posed as a Human. He knew that form of light magic very well. Gray gawked in surprise, and a sickening wave of horror swept over him. "You...you're...? Oh God, this is impossible."

"Rare, but not impossible," Lucy replied calmly.

"How? And why? Why the hell is it you?" he yelled in anger.

She lowered her glowing fist. "It's an ancient agreement. If a celestial wizard allows a Spirit to die, that person must become a Celestial Spirit and take over those duties." She laughed softly. "I'm almost glad it was Loke and not Taurus, or else I might have ended up looking like a cow."

He could hardly believe she was joking about this. "So you're taking Loke's place? Is this something you want, Lucy?"

She hummed as she thought about it. "Want? I'm not sure if that's playing into it anymore. It's more like this is something I know I have to do. An instinct, you could say. Do I want to leave? Of course not; I'd rather stay here with you and Natsu and Erza. Am I opposed to the idea? Not really. I think this is a good way to atone for Loke's death. It's also a great opportunity. I mean," she laughed, "I'm immortal now, Gray. Isn't that just awesome! What sane person wouldn't want to become an immortal Spirit?"

"What about Fairy Tail?" he shouted. "What about the team? What about...about _you_?"

Lucy kept a passive face. "Technically, I'm still a member of Fairy Tail." She showed him the pink guild mark on her hand as evidence. "I've spent the past two days arranging everything, saying my goodbyes to everyone...in my own way," she amended. She had not told anyone _goodbye_, but she cleared up a few issues she had with her friends, as well as visited her parents' graves to tell them about her new fate. "My landlady knows, and the lease expires at the end of next week. That'll give everyone time to pick up things. I left letters in my apartment for everyone, and a letter for all of Fairy Tail explaining what happened."

"Lucy!"

"Gray," she interrupted fast. Then she removed from her belt the pouch with its keyring and handed the whole thing to Gray. "These are yours."

"I can't use them," he argued.

"I know, but you can protect them. I don't want to end up with a bad owner. You don't have to call out any of us. Just protect us, okay?"

Hesitantly, Gray took the pouch. Somehow, those keys weighed immensely heavy in his hand. "Is this what you meant before: putting your life into my hands for the rest of my life?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I'm contracted to you."

Gray's eyes widened in surprise. "What? How? I didn't sign any contract."

"When you promised to protect me, I felt it then. That promise was our contract. You'll protect me, and I'll fight for you...as your Lion Spirit."

"Wait." He rubbed the tension out of his eyes, deftly wiping a tear while he was at it. "I don't get this at all. A contract? Me?"

She shrugged sheepishly. "You're my owner, Gray."

"But I can't call you out," he bellowed.

"Like I said, you don't have to summon any of us. Just protect us."

"Screw that!" he shouted furiously. "How am I supposed to see you again? If you're really Leo the Lion now, and I'm your owner...Lucy," he sighed in frustration. "I can't be your owner. I'm sorry, but it'd never work. I can't use your key. You'd be stuck. I could give your key to someone else, someone who can use it..."

"Gray, I can't trust anyone else," she insisted. "I very well could end up in the hands of someone abusive, or even used to fight against Fairy Tail. I don't want to do that, but I'd have no choice. I don't trust anyone as much as I trust you."

"Goddammit, Lucy, I'm not a celestial wizard!"

She lowered her head and smiled sadly. "I'm being a mean friend, forcing this burden onto you. Sorry."

Gray clenched his teeth, but he suddenly grabbed Lucy into a crushing embrace. He held her as if she might disappear from him that very moment. "Thank you," he whispered into her ear. "You could have picked anyone to protect these keys, so...thank you for picking me."

Lucy looked relieved as she held him back. "I just wish I could stay with you all the time, Gray. Hearing you confess...it made me so happy," she laughed tensely, "and so sad that I can't return those feelings, no matter how much I want to. Maybe someday I can be strong enough to pass freely through my gate, but until then..." She sniffled moistly. "I'm afraid to say the words only to leave you forever. It...it wouldn't be fair...to you...or to me."

She made a shaky and snorting inhale that shivered her chest. Lucy tried so hard to hold back, to stay strong, but all those emotions she had been holding back all week suddenly came crashing down. She grasped Gray's shoulders tightly, clutching to him as if he was an anchor to keep her in this world.

"I don't want to leave," she sobbed.

Gray held her as she cried on his shoulder. He felt the moist drops flowing from her eyes, the shaky chest convulsing with emotions, and her hands gripping him...far tighter than any grip she had ever given. Her hands at least were definitely stronger than before. They stood there for many minutes. Anyone who walked by that storage room and peeped in at the sound of sobbing merely figured Lucy was finally mourning, and they left her alone. Gray held her, wishing upon every star in the sky that he could hold her like this for all eternity.

After a while, Lucy pulled back and wiped her eyes. She felt physically drained and emotionally pummeled, yet the cry had been cathartic and lifted the heaviness from her heart.

"Sorry," she whispered belatedly. Gray's gentle touch to her wet cheeks showed Lucy that he forgave her. "I need to go. Staying in this world for this long is really starting to hurt." That much was true, and her long cry only increased the strain on her body. She straightened up and wiped her face dry. Then she smiled tensely at Gray. "Find a good home for the other keys, or if not, don't lose them."

Now it was Gray who looked ready to cry, but she saw he was trying to be brave. Still, his eyes glittered with unshed tears, and his teeth gritted until a vein in his neck pulsed. "How can I see you again?" he asked in a strained voice.

Lucy sighed as she thought about her own dilemma. "I can't leave the Spirit World unless someone summonses me. Maybe after some time, if I can get stronger, and in the hands of a really strong owner, then _maybe_ I can come out on my own, but..."

"Loke said," Gray cut in, "that love makes a Celestial Spirit stronger."

Lucy froze and stared at him blankly for a moment. She saw such firm determination in his face that she was left silent. Slowly, those feelings he was trying to convey sank in, and Lucy bit her lip in sadness. Gray's face was undeterred.

"I'll get you out," he swore sternly. "I'll bring you back."

Protest leaped into her throat. "This is a duty I have to do now in Loke's place and..."

"That's fine," he interrupted again. "If you have to be Leo the Lion, fine. But you're still Lucy Heartfilia, and I'm going to figure out how to bring you back, even if it's just for brief visits." His brow tightened even more. Fiercely, he sneered, "I'm not giving up on you!"

Lucy's emotions went out of control. Happiness, sadness, hope, despair: they all clashed at once and left her with only one action. She threw her arms around Gray and kissed him. Strong arms grabbed her in return, holding her possessively. Gray's mouth moistly kissed her, taking possession of her lips and tongue, while their teeth clanked together at the fierceness. Lucy pressed her body as tightly against him as she could without ripping his clothes off.

Gray was breathless and barely able to pull his lips away as he asked, "Can you stay for another hour?"

Lucy pulled back just a little and looked confused. Both of them were panting hard with passion, and she already felt dizzy, either from the effects of the Human World or the hormonal surge, she did not know.

"Come back to my house," Gray whispered, enticingly rubbing his hands up and down her body. "Just for a while."

The hungry passion in his eyes spoke what he could not in good conscience ask of her. Lucy gulped dryly. She knew what he wanted to do, one last moment together, something impulsive and desperate, one last night together that neither of them would ever forget. She was nervous, ashamed, yet incredibly aroused and desperate to have a final experience of excitement and pleasure in this world. Swallowing down her uncertainties, she nodded in agreement.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, they stumbled into Gray's apartment, kissing and clutching one another. Gray barely had time to kick the door shut behind them before Lucy slammed him against the wall, fiercely driving her body against him. She had never felt this wild and uninhibited before, and part of her wondered if it was due to her new station as the Lion.

Did having that job also give her a wild, animalistic side?

She had no time to consider it as Gray tore at the black clothes she wore. His own clothes had vanished somewhere along the way, probably in the hallway leading to his apartment room. Now those fast fingers had her blouse off and flying like an ebony comet. He grabbed her narrow waist first, then slid his hands up along her ribcage to her breasts. A fast reach behind her, a little fiddling around as he worked all the hooks of her bra, then that also flew away.

"Gray," she moaned as the cold air of his apartment tingled her skin.

Not breaking off his kisses, he insistently pushed her in the direction of the bedroom. Lucy followed, walking backwards, letting him guide her as he continued to undress her. When the back of her legs hit the mattress edge, she sat and quickly pivoted herself to be on his pillow. Gray ripped off the last of his clothes—she really did hear fabric tearing—and climbed on top of her.

"Gray!" She had seen him stark naked many times before, including the first day they met. However, looking at him from afar and feeling his skin against her naked body were completely different. Lucy felt woozy from the rush of passion.

His hands felt every bit of skin he could touch while he hungrily kissed her lips, cheeks, nose, ears, neck, collarbone, and slowly worked down to her breasts. He latched on to one, thrilled to hear her gasp and seeing her back arched up high. He sucked hard, lapped his tongue around the tensing tit, while his hand pinched and tweaked the other. Lucy moaned at the touches.

Then Gray switched, sucking the other nipple while playing with the moist one. He would have loved to spend hours on her massive breasts alone, but he remembered Lucy said staying in the Human World was painful. So was the tenseness of his erection. He decided that both of them needed to be relieved from the pain fast, yet he still wanted one thing before she left him.

Gray slid down between her legs, spread apart the fuzzy lips, and gazed at the sleek pinkness of her opening.

"Gray, what are you doing?" she asked in surprise.

"Admiring perfection," he answered before thrusting his tongue into her. Lucy's scream was anything but timid.

"Oh Gray, that feels...oh God...so good!" she shivered.

He could hardly believe how strong she tasted, and with hardly any prompting he saw the fluid dripping from her. He lapped at it, tasting concentrated femininity, and any wish to slow down, to savor what was likely their one and only time together, cracked under the overwhelming desire.

"What do you want, Lucy?" he asked, licking circles around her clit.

She squirmed at every hot touch of his tongue. "I want you in me before this starts to hurt worse."

Knowing she was already in pain troubled Gray. His face rose up, and he looked at her with concern. "Do you need to leave now? If it hurts too bad..."

"Shut up and fuck me, Gray!" she roared.

The ice wizard's eyes popped open as a beastly growl purred just under such a carnal demand. Totally not like Lucy, more like...an animal! That was the first time it truly dawned on Gray.

"I've snagged a horny Lioness," he chuckled playfully. "Try to refrain from biting me."

"I will if you don't utterly please me," she smirked with a lusty gleam that made her brown eyes nearly glow in the soft lighting.

Gray shivered, enthralled by her salacious face. "Damn!" he hissed, clenching his stomach muscles before he came right then.

If there was anything restraining him, it vanished under those lion-like eyes. With a delicious threat like that, Gray climbed up and positioned himself. Lucy was flushed, panting heavily, her thighs spread with utter eagerness. Gray chuckled softly. It was not how he had always imagined sex with Lucy would be like, but _damn_ was it hot!

"All right," he warned before pressing into her.

He was unsure what to expect. She had never made love before, he knew that much, although one of their hard fights early on had caused Lucy to tear her hymen. She had bled and refused to see anyone but Mira, Erza, and Levy. Gray heard from Mira what the problem was and pitied Lucy. It wasn't like doing something like that made her _not_ a virgin, but he could only imagine how embarrassing and potentially shameful such a common injury might be to a girl. So he knew that, at the least, the resistance would be lessened.

He had not expected the tightness, though. He truly had to strain to push in. She squeezed around his shaft, and her cries were the same as if he had broken into her. Perhaps she had not completely torn herself during that injury. There was even a tiny bit of blood, but nowhere near as much as he had feared. As he looked, that droplet of blood vanished into golden sparkles.

"Holy shit," Gray gasped, looking at the spiritual particles. "You really are a Celestial Spirit."

Lucy panted, overwhelmed by the feel of Gray being inside of her. "I'm still a woman," she assured him. "I'm also an insanely horny woman, so stop looking and start thrusting."

Gray laughed as he slid in and pulled out slowly. "I sort of like this type of Lucy."

Lucy squirmed under him. Her lungs were already burning from the poisonous air of the Human World, the leeching of her magic was making her ache, yet under the pure pleasure of Gray's body, that pain vanished. She thought she now understood why Loke had taken so many women while in the Human World. She could sense Gray's spirit surrounding her like a bubble. Those emotions were like a shield against the effects of the Human World. Within that spiritual sphere of love, she truly did feel stronger.

"Gray," she moaned loudly.

He did not speak much. He watched her, observing every gasp, every time she arched her back to thrust up into him, listening to her gasps, pants, and mewling cries. He wondered how on earth he could be expected to let her go, and as he made love to her, his determination strengthened.

He would protect her for the rest of his life, and he would learn how to bring her back into his arms...even if it took a lifetime. Every thrust was an oath to himself, every strained grunt a verbal promise.

He loved her, and he was not going to abandon her.

"Gray!" she shrieked. "Oh God! M-More...ahhh!"

Lucy was practically thrashing under him. Her nails dug into his shoulders, clawing at him like an animal fighting for freedom, struggling to be released. He felt her resisting that climax, and he sped up. He wanted to tame this Lioness. He wanted to collar her so everyone would know who she belonged to, who her master truly was.

Her voice shrieked incomprehensible noises, not even human anymore, just feminine and wild. He felt her tightening, clenching, spasming around him. Her nails dug into his skin, and the painful sensation made him lose control. Despite his yearning to keep at this all day and into the night, despite knowing and dreading that when it was over she would leave him, he could not hold back any longer, not with Lucy looking so erotic in the midst of her orgasm.

"Lucy...I'm cumming!"

"It's okay," she groaned. "I'm a Spirit now, so it's okay to do it inside. Cum in me, Gray. I wanna feel you fill me."

Hearing her raspy voice order that threw Gray over his limit. His face tensed up, and his whole body stiffened. He gave one extra deep thrust as he felt himself explode. Lucy's constricting muscles sucked at him as waves of pleasure pulsed outward from his groin. Gray shivered as he felt as if Lucy might suck his whole spirit out of his body...and he would have gladly let her take it.

He nearly collapsed. It truly felt like she had just suctioned all the energy out of him. He gazed down at her, flushed, sweaty, panting, weary from passion. Slowly, her eyes opened, and Lucy weakly smiled at him.

"I love you," he declared in a tired, panting exhale. Gray could not think of anything else he could say after mind-blowing sex like that.

"Stay with me," she whispered between labored breaths. "For as long as I can stay here, please don't leave me alone."

Gray brushed back some damp blonde strands and nodded in agreement. "I won't ever leave you, Lucy." He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss, so gentle and sweet after such wild passion. Then he smiled and rubbed her nose with his. "I love you," he again whispered tenderly, feeling intense happiness marred darkly by the knowledge that she was leaving soon. The two emotions made him want to laugh and cry at the same time. Instead, he simply told her, "I'll always love you...always."

* * *

Slowly, the evening shadows overran the bedroom, cloaking it in black and purple with a bit of orange glow from a streetlight. The sun had set, leaving Gray and Lucy cuddled together, his arm around her waist, her back firmly up against his chest. She stared into the growing darkness as thoughts flitted past her mind, mostly ones of regret. She had steeled her heart to accept her fate, thinking of it as a punishment for letting Loke die. She knew it meant leaving behind her friends, but that too would be mere punishment she deserved.

Why was she sounding like Virgo, _wanting_ to be punished?

Still, she had the support of her Celestial Spirit friends. They loved her and accepted her, just as Fairy Tail had loved her and opened their arms to her as nakama...no, as family! She hated to leave them, but she had convinced herself it was going to be okay. She could learn to open her own gate like Loke did and visit Fairy Tail any time she wanted.

At least, that was what she told herself.

Now, the pessimism returned. What if she _couldn't_ open her own gate? What if it had taken Loke centuries to get that strong? Plus, time flowed so differently in the Spirit World.

She could imagine it now as she stared into the shadows of Gray's bedroom. Even if it took her a month of hard training to get strong enough to open her own gate, if one day in the Spirit World was three months in Earthland, that meant in thirty days...thirty times three is ninety...and with twelve months in a year...

Over seven years! One month in the Spirit World was seven years in the Human World.

She would lose another seven years of her life.

How different would Gray be in seven years? Would Makarov still be alive? Just think how mature Wendy, Romeo, and Asuka would be in seven years! So much could happen in that amount of time.

And that was being optimistic. If it took her longer to get that strong, if it took her a year...

She shivered as she realized that in one Spirit World year, everyone she knew in Earthland would be dead.

She felt Gray's breathing as slow, even streams of cold air on the back of her neck. He was sleeping so peacefully, yet she knew there was no way she could fall asleep with all these doubts and fears nagging her. Each minute that passed increased the pain in her body. She suffered through it, refusing to give in, accepting it as punishment for daring to fall in love right when she knew she had to leave.

She flinched as a wave of agony swept over her, and she saw a quiver of energy as her solid body fought the effects. She knew it was time, yet she had no desire for another sad goodbye. Her first attempt to depart from Gray obviously failed, and if she tried again it would only be more bitter.

She rolled over in bed to look at Gray's face. Her finger traced the scar above his eyebrow, remembering how she had treated that wound and warned him it would leave a mark. As the blanket slid down a bit, she also saw the large scar on his side from his fight with Ultear on Tenrou Island. He had others, some faint, some fresh. She could name how he got many of them. They were badges of battle, physical reminders of their time together.

She smiled down at his sleeping face. "Time for me to go," she whispered soft enough to not wake him. "I hope you won't be angry at me for running off." She leaned over and kissed the forehead scar. "I'll always love you, Gray."

She wanted to say more. She wanted to apologize, to beg forgiveness, to assure him that although she would always cherish his love, it was okay if he moved on. After all, she had no clue when she might see Gray again. She stared at his sleeping face, imprinting it into her memory. Then she lightly brushed her fingers over his skin, hoping she could always remember the coolness of his touch and the burning passion of his kisses.

"I really...really don't want to go," she sniffled, trying to hold her sobs in so they would not wake him. "But I can't stay. It hurts! This whole world has rejected me now. I'm..." She swallowed hard as a tear ran down her cheek. "I'm so sorry," she breathed. She kissed his cheek one last time and smiled down at him. "Goodbye, Gray," she whispered. Then, in a shimmer of golden light, Lucy vanished.

Gray opened his eyes a second later and smiled sadly. He knew that saying goodbye would be too hard now that they had made love. He had decided to fake falling asleep to give her time to escape. Hearing the tears in her voice made pretending to sleep immensely difficult, but for her sake he had held still.

He just hoped she did not feel too guilty about leaving like that. It was simply easier to slip away. He knew that, so although he wanted to grab her, hold her, and kiss her everywhere, he simply let her go. Besides, he was determined now.

"I'll see you soon, Lucy...I swear!"

**End of Chapter 3**


	4. Belo and Harto

Chapter 4

**Belo and Harto**

Gray was a man with a mission now. He gave the news to the guild and stayed only long enough to watch the reactions. Reasonably, Levy broke into tears at hearing the fate of her best friend. Natsu raged furiously until Erza had to hold him before he destroyed the entire house on Strawberry Street. Then the dragon slayer ran off to the bathroom with tears in his eyes, screaming that he would somehow get her back. He stayed locked in there for a while, and people just pretended they did not hear Natsu sobbing curses. It hurt even worse when Gray saw Master Makarov slowly turn away, but not before a tear got caught in a wrinkle on the side of the old man's eyes. Then Juvia nearly washed them all away with a sobbing flood.

Gray just stood to the side. He even let Juvia hang onto his arm, not comforting her as she begging—"Please, Gray-sama, hold Juvia."—but not pushing her away either. He could hardly look at anyone, but their reactions, the tears, the shouts and oaths that somehow, someway, Fairy Tail would get Lucy back, reaffirmed in his heart that he had to do his best.

Then finally it was Mirajane who had the sense to ask, "Who has Lucy's keys?"

At that, Gray pushed himself off the wall, sliding Juvia's hands off of him, and walked forward. He reached to a leather pouch that now stayed on his side. "She gave them to me. Apparently, I somehow ended up as Lucy's owner."

Juvia shrieked, "Lucy owns Gray-sama? Juvia won't accept that!"

"She doesn't _own_ me," Gray snapped. He growled when he realized he had shouted rather fiercely at the poor woman, and he tried to rein in his emotions. "I...I have her key." He pulled out the Key to the Gate of the Lion. "Like she explained in her letters, she's the Spirit of the Lion now. Somehow, I ended up contracted with her."

Natsu's mouth dropped. "You own her key? Shit, we're never gonna see Lucy again."

"Hey!" Gray sneered at him. "Do you think I'm gonna leave it at this?"

"You're not a celestial wizard, droopy eyes."

"I know," Gray yelled. "So I'll learn."

Erza looked concerned. "Learning a whole new form of magic? Perhaps it would be better to find a powerful and kind celestial wizard and..."

"No!" Gray shouted. "I'm not giving her up. I'll find someone to teach me. I'll train how to use this key."

Happy laughed softly. "That's only if you can train yourself not to lose your pants and the keys with them."

Gray knew someone would mention that. "There's no way in hell I'd lose her," he shouted.

The people standing around looked over in surprise, and Juvia gulped down her sobs.

"I mean...I mean, lose her key," he corrected softly, but he knew it was useless to hide the emotions that played out on his face. "You'll see. I'll learn, and I'm gonna bring her back."

With that oath, Gray ran out the door and raced back home in tears.

* * *

The following day, he left Magnolia. He had research to do, and only a few of Lucy's personal papers to go off of. Unfortunately, she took almost all of her journals with her, but there was a name he found in an address book. He had heard Lucy mention him before. Grandpa Belo: the man who taught Lucy how to perform Celestial Spirit magic. If anyone could train Gray, it was this man.

He went to the address, but Grandpa Belo had moved. He followed some vague guesses, which took him north, then west to the sea. After weeks of traveling, he came to a quaint coastal town reeking of fish and drying seaweed. The streets were filled with salt barrels for the fishing industry that barely supported the town. The docks had a mishmash of tiny boats with tangles of nets hanging anywhere that could be spared, as if hundred of spiders had spun their webs.

The very first local he talked to knew precisely who he wanted and gave him directions to Grandpa Belo's house. Gray stomped through a mud and gravel road heading up from the salty coast to a hill high above. There lived the people who had retired from harsh fisherman work, and a few who escaped to the coast for a quieter life. That was one of the people he was seeking, someone retired who now wanted peace, a slow life, and the tranquility of the ocean.

The house was colorful, navy blue with gold stars painted on the walls. If Gray had been uncertain which house he wanted, that alone would have told him. Gray walked up to the golden arched door and gave it a firm knock. He waited a minute, then knocked again. Although he had come unannounced, it still felt disappointing to have traveled all this way just to find the house empty.

He turned and looked back down the hill. From the house porch, he could see the sea and the silver fog that hung in the air. He would also be able to see any person coming up the hill, that way he would know the instant Grandpa Belo returned. Gray sat on the steps and rested his chin in his hands. He was impatient, but he had no other choice now but to wait.

After a half hour of sitting there, he got bored. He pulled out Lucy's keys and flipped through them. He chuckled as he wondered how long it would take for him to stop thinking of them as belonging to Lucy and admit they were now _his_ keys. Probably never. They would always be Lucy's.

He held the Lion's key tightly and wondered if there was any sort of connection between him and her. Loke used to say that he could sense when Lucy needed him, and sometimes Lucy got telepathic communications from her Spirits while they were still in the Spirit World. That happened with both Loke and Crux.

Could she feel his emotions now, and how much he wanted her?

He stroked the key tenderly and tried to pour all of his feelings into it. He wanted her to know he was thinking about her.

"My, my! Will you look at that?"

Gray jumped at the voice and spun around fast. A tiny man had somehow slipped out of the house, amazingly silent for his advanced years, especially considering he shook where he stood, leaning on a knobby wooden staff. His nose and his earlobes both drooped to his chin, surprisingly longer than the white mustache he sported. He wore the blue robe of a scholar with a pink wizard's hat marked by a yellow heart. His half-closed eyes were focused on the golden key in Gray's hand.

"Key to the Gate of the Lion. I never thought I'd get to see it. You must be quite a wizard to have come into possession of that."

"Are you Grandpa Belo?" asked Gray.

"Aye, that's me. And who might you be, sonny?"

"Gray Fullbuster. Were you here this whole time?"

"Well, sure. Sorry for not answering the door. I thought you were one of the local boys here to sell me fish. They come by around this time of day, thinking a former employee of the Heartfilia Konzern must be rich. They definitely overestimate me," he chuckled, half coughing as he did so. "So, you're a Celestial Spirit wizard, eh? How many units?"

"Huh? Units? Oh!" He recalled Lucy saying that Celestial Spirit wizards were noted for their units, how many keys they owned, in both gold and silver. He pulled out the keyring and began to count.

"You have to count? Then again, that's a lot of keys." Grandpa Belo's mouth suddenly drew down as Gray began to count the gold keys. Softly, he exclaimed, "Key to the Gate of the Golden Bull!" Then his wrinkly face swung up with a glint in his squinted eyes. "Sonny, you're either a friend to someone I think of as family, or you are an enemy of mine."

Gray paused in counting. The ancient man suddenly looked furious. "Oh right, you'd know some of her Spirits. These...they belonged to my friend, Lucy Heartfilia. She's...not here anymore." He wondered if the man would even believe him if he said Lucy was the new _Leo the Lion_. "She gave me her keys to protect, but I want to do more than guard them. She spoke about you, so that's why I came all this way to find you." Gray tried to look as humble as possible. "Grandpa Belo, sir, this might seem rather sudden, but can you train me to become a Celestial Spirit wizard?"

The man was silent for a moment, looking at the keys as he weighed the request. "You seem to be of adult age. To learn magic this late..."

"I'm an Ice-Make wizard of Fairy Tail."

"Ah, Fairy Tail! Lucy-chan joined them, as I recall. Your mark?"

Gray threw off his shirt, revealing the guild symbol on his chest.

"I asked to see it, not have you strip, sonny. Very well, then you must have truly known Lucy-chan. And she gave you her keys, eh? I'm sorry to hear about her. She's like a granddaughter to me. I love her dearly."

"As do I," Gray muttered, feeling his eyes beginning to sting with the pain of missing her.

"I can teach you, but the training is long and hard. Even if you are already a wizard, to learn a completely new form of magic is no small feat."

"It's something I'm willing to dedicate the rest of my life to doing," Gray said adamantly.

Grandpa Belo hummed and nodded slowly. "Well, come in. Might as well give you some tea and get you out of this moist coldness."

The old man turned and shook as he slowly toddled forward, his walking staff clacking with each step. Gray wondered how in the world he could have missed hearing the old man come outside, unless his thoughts had distracted him that much. As Gray followed after Grandpa Belo, he tightened his grip on the Lion's key.

_I'll bring you back, Lucy. I swear, I'll bring you back home to Fairy Tail._

The tiny old man was surprisingly nimble around his cluttered house. He weaved between piles of books and models of constellations. Gray looked around, not sure whether to feel disgusted by such clutter or in awe at the tiny tutor's vast knowledge that must have led to such an impressive—albeit chaotic—collection.

While his eyes were focused on a model of stars in the same shape as the symbol on the Lion's key, he suddenly stepped on something soft. Gray leaped back, fearing he had stepped on a pet, and knocked over one of the book stacks. Then he heard "Puun." Where he had stepped sat a tiny creature with a round head and cone-like nose.

"Plue?" As Gray squinted, he saw the tiny Nikora was pink, not white, and the nose was yellow, making him look a little similar to Grandpa Belo's pink and yellow pointy hat.

"His name is Harto," the old man called back as he clanked some pans in the kitchen. "He was my very first Celestial Spirit, and he has stayed by me for decades."

"Pu-puun," Harto nodded in agreement.

"Do you have a Key to the Lesser Dog, Gray Fullbuster?" Grandpa Belo asked as he put a kettle on the stove.

"Yes, Lucy named him Plue."

"Then she got one, eh? When that girl was a child, she loved to play with Harto. Every year on her birthday, she asked for a Key to the Lesser Dog, and every year Mister Heartfilia refused to buy her one. He said a lady of her stature should have a pure-bred dog, not a Celestial Spirit as a pet. I trained her with Harto. I will have to use the same approach with you, if you are to learn how to make a contract."

"Contract?" Gray muttered, and again his hand drifted to the Lion's key. "But I have a contract with...with Leo." He still was not sure if this man would believe him about Lucy.

"With Leo, eh? Have you called him out?"

"N-no," he muttered. "The contract was made while _Leo_ was already in the Human World."

"That happens sometimes," Grandpa Belo nodded, pouring the boiling water out for tea. "It's the biggest dilemma in training a Celestial Spirit wizard: to use a key, the wizard must first call out the Spirit and make a contract. To call out the Spirit, the wizard must first know _how_ to summon a Celestial Spirit. The initial summons is always the hardest, since there is no rapport between Spirit and Owner. It's easier to call out a Spirit one already knows, and with time even the incantation becomes unneeded. Thus, how does a student learn simple summoning if one does not have a contracted Spirit? That's why Jude Heartfilia hired me to train his daughter. Her mother, bless her soul, had possessed both Silver and Gold Keys, yet she did not have a Lesser Dog, the easiest Spirit to summons. I trained little Lucy on Harto, since she got to know him first, and Harto trusted her. That's the most important thing for an owner: trust! If you have the trust of Leo the Lion, you likely have the trust of any other Zodiac Spirit, since he is their leader."

"Will that make it easier?" Gray asked eagerly.

"Easier, yes. Would you be able to do it now? Heavens no! It takes many years before a Celestial Spirit wizard graduates from Silver Keys to Gold Keys. The change in magic consumption is night and day, sonny. Little Lucy was ten years old when I began her lessons, and even then she had numerous years of training under the guidance of her mother, bless her soul. Layla had her using minor keys almost as soon as the girl could speak, all done behind Jude's back, of course. Lucy made her first contract with the Spirit Crux when she was ten years old. She was unable to open a gate to one of the Zodiac Spirits until she was fifteen. Five years, sonny!" Grandpa Belo emphasized. "Are you willing to dedicate that much time to this pursuit?"

Gray's eyes remained firm, and his determination did not waver in the least. "I swore I'd dedicate my entire life to her, and I don't go back on my promises. Whether it's five years or fifty, I'm bringing her back."

The old man's half-closed eyes squinted even more. "Bringing who back?" he asked suspiciously.

Gray froze as he realized he had said too much. The two stared at each other while a clock somewhere ticked away the seconds.

"Tell me, what precisely happened to Lucy?" Grandpa Belo asked warily.

Gray gave a little sigh. "It's a long story."

The old man shrugged and set down a tea tray. "I have all the time in the world. You're the one who seems to be in a rush. So tell me...what happened to Lucy Heartfilia? How is it that you, an Ice-Make wizard, came to possess all of her keys? Lucy wouldn't have done such a thoughtless thing unless she knew her time was short and she had no other choice. Also, a normal person would simply find an owner for these keys, not be so determined to use them. So before I teach you anything at all, I want to hear what's your story."

Gray sipped some of the weakly brewed tea. He supposed that being honest with Grandpa Belo was best anyway. It might even make the old man more willing to help. "It started while we were on a mission..."

**End of Chapter 4**

* * *

_A/N: When I first posted this, m__any people thought Grandpa Belo is an OC. Nope, he's canon, one of the staff at the Heartfilia mansion, said to have been Lucy's magic tutor. We see him and the other Heartfilia Konzern workers when Lucy returns home. Harto is an OC, though. His name comes from Lucy's Romanji surname._


	5. Training

Chapter 5

**Training**

Gray woke up before the sun, having spent a comfortable night in his very own guest room in Grandpa Belo's house. Today, he was going to start training with the Celestial Spirit magic tutor. He had to admit, the prospect of learning a new form of magic was both intimidating and exciting. It reminded him of his days learning Ice-Make magic with Ur. Add to that the fact that this was Lucy's magic, and his aim was to become strong enough to summons Lucy back to him: how was he expected to sleep at all?

However, for how early the day was, with the sky a deep purple outside and the stars wavering in anticipation of the coming sun, old Grandpa Belo was still up first and already had tea prepared. Gray supposed the rumor that old people woke up early was true. The cone-nosed pink and yellow Nikora spirit named Harto was also up, sucking a star-shaped lollipop. Grandpa Belo looked around as Gray walked carefully through the maze of old book piles.

"Ah, good to see a city young'un who wakes up at a decent time. The fisher-kids have to wake early to get out to sea, but city folks usually like to sleep late. Not Lucy-chan, though. No, she was an early riser even as a child."

Gray finally found the table and a teacup waiting for him with a piece of thick bread and a small tub of fresh butter. So, not only did old people wake up early, but the rumor that they ate very small meals was apparently true, too. With a sigh, Gray supposed he should be happy to get a warm bed and free food. If he had time later, he would run down into the town at the bottom of the hill to buy a bigger breakfast.

"I'd like to hear more about Lucy's childhood someday," Gray said, putting extra butter on his scarce meal.

"Oh, we've got time, sonny. We've got plenty of time."

Gray bit into the bread to find it thick and heavy. That single first bite hit his stomach hard. He realized, one slice was all it would take to fill him up. "Do you really think it'll take me a few years?"

"To master a Gold Key? Heavens, yes! We must start with the basics, and that's Harto here." He waved to the pink and yellow Little Dog. "When you aren't practicing summoning, you must study about the constellations, their uses, their strengths, their weaknesses, how one relates to another. I expect you to memorize the names and functions of all eighty-eight."

"Understood, sir," Gray nodded dutifully.

"As you make contracts, you'll be expected to call upon that Celestial Spirit as often as the contract allows, build a relationship with them, come to know them, work with them, play with them if they are an entertaining Spirit, fight with them if they are a battle Spirit."

Gray set his bread down and gazed out at the pre-dawn sky. "Lucy is a battle Spirit now. That's hard to imagine. She was always strong, but she used her Spirits to do most of the heavy fighting. I just can't picture her throwing a punch, not like Loke could."

Grandpa Belo nodded solemnly, making his long mustache wave. "She'll likely have changed a lot from the sweet little heiress we both knew."

"I rarely thought of her as an heiress," Gray admitted, "but I know you're right." He sipped some tea to wash down the thick bread. "She...changed. A wilder personality, almost like an animal. Not at all what I was expecting," he said with a distant smile and slight blush.

The old man's squinty eyes opened a little wider as he gazed at Gray from under a wrinkled brow. "I mean more than just _in bed_, boy."

Gray choked a little and sputtered out tea. "I...I didn't mean..."

"I'm not too old to see the signs, sonny. There's only one reason you'd want Lucy-chan back this much. You two must have been more than just friends and teammates. The way you blush when you think about her, the dreamy look in your eyes, the fact that you spent way too long in the shower last night..."

"Hey!" Gray shouted, turning red in shame.

"You two were obviously lovers. Now you want her back in your arms. Isn't that the only reason you want to learn this magic: for her?"

Gray glared stubbornly. "Are you going to tell me it's pointless? Are you going to say, 'Give it up, she's a Spirit, you're a Human, it'll never work'? Because I don't give a damn about that," he shouted.

Grandpa Belo merely shook his head. "No, I won't say anything like that. Besides, you're missing the point." He rose, toddled over to the window, and stared up at the last stars struggled against the coming day. "Maybe you'll understand what I mean with time. You're young, you're still grieving her loss, she's the only person on your mind right now. That's understandable."

Gray stared at the old man, wondering what _point_ he was trying to make. "Are you saying it's okay that I love her?"

Grandpa Belo chuckled deep in his gravelly throat as he gazed out the window. "We all fall in love with the heavens. Sometimes, if we're lucky, the heavens fall in love with us. I won't tell you to give her up. In fact, I envy you. But I do pity you, sonny. It might take you a long time before you can see Lucy-chan again."

"I'm willing to wait," he insisted.

"Even when you can call her out, until Lucy-chan herself is strong enough to open her own gate, how long she can stay in this world will be dictated by your own magic. You won't get days and weeks together. You'll get minutes, maybe hours, until both of you get used to your new magic."

Gray knew he was right. He had seen Lucy wear out from using keys too much, and she had been practicing this type of magic since she was a small child. Even when he got strong enough to call her out, it might take many years until he got enough practice to keep her out long enough for something as simple as dinner and a movie, let alone a long night of passion. Still, his heart did not waver.

"Then any time I can get with her, I'll take it as a blessing. Wanting more time with her will only drive me on to become stronger."

The tiny old man nodded with satisfaction. "Then, if your heart is set and your stomach is full, I believe we're ready. Harto, you can go home."

"Pu-puun," the cone-nosed dog nodded, and it vanished in a puff of smoke.

Grandpa Belo hobbled out of the house on his cane, and Gray dutifully followed behind. They went out to a grassy patch on the hill. The sun was finally making the eastern sky glow, granting the world enough rosy light by which to see. With a gesture from Grandpa Belo, Gray took a seat, crossed his legs, and mentally prepared himself.

"Well, sonny! Since I have a contract with Harto, and he knows to come at your call, this makes the best way of learning the basics. Take my Key to the Canis Minor."

Gray took the Silver Key from the old man and held it like he had seen Lucy do on many occasions.

"Flow your magic down into the key. You will feel the key drawing closer to the border between realms. Dig into yourself, find that connecting point, and use the key to make the connection to the gateway. Visualize the silver gate until you can see it in your mind, then stick the key into the keyhole. Once you feel the gate and the path to unlock it, fill the key with your magic, as much as you can give, and chant 'Open the Gate of the Canis Minor! Nikora!' Feel the connection establish, and bring the Spirit through the gate to your side."

Gray meditated. He thought this would be easy. Visualize a gate: simple. Feel the connection...not so simple. Gray sat there for many minutes, waiting to feel something, some link, some mysterious force reaching out to him. Nothing.

"Feel the magic in the ground, in the air, all around you," Grandpa Belo instructed, watching Gray patiently. "Before you can hope to make a connection to another dimension, you must first get connected to this dimension. Feel the spirit of Earthland, and become one with it."

He knew a little about this. While learning ice magic, Ur had taught him to feel the energy of the cold and embrace it (thus, his stripping habit). Gray closed his eyes, feeling the energy around him. Sensing the liquid in the air and the temperature was second nature, but he had to push his mind beyond just that.

The spirit of Earthland, eh? He could feel magic, but a spirit? Some natural essence? He was not even sure what something like that might feel like.

Around him, the air got warmer, the dew on the ground evaporated, and the coastal mist burned away. These were environmental changes Gray could feel with ease. He needed to go beyond liquid and temperature. He started with the ground, feeling it, but instantly he felt the moisture in the soil, the coolness, the damp blades of grass. No! Beyond those things! Feel the grass, not the dew. Feel the soil, not the moisture in it.

Through his closed eyes, Gray realized that the sun had risen. The wind blew off the ocean and brought the whiff of salt and the first catch of the day. Birds began to sing matinal praises to the glorious Dawn. Flowers opened around him and spritzed out their perfume for the world to enjoy. Nature was awakening. Humans were, too. He smelled bacon sizzling in a nearby house. A man leaving for work whistled an out-of-pitch tune. Somewhere down below in the seaside town, bells rang in a schoolhouse, calling the children to class.

"That's enough for now."

Gray's eyes opened fast, and his mouth drew up to shout a protest.

"It's been two hours. Your feet are probably asleep."

Gray froze. Two hours? It didn't seem that long! On the contrary, it felt like barely twenty minutes had passed. Yet as he looked around, he realized the sun was now well established on the eastern horizon.

"How could that have been two hours?" he asked to himself.

Grandpa Belo hummed. "Time flows differently in the Spirit World. You said you've been there, yes? Then you know that a day there is three months here. When we reach out to the Spirit World, often time feels...disjointed. It could be you were close to the border."

"But," Gray muttered as he stretched out his legs, "I didn't feel anything."

"Your heart knows the way. You just need to teach your brain."

Gray flinched as the pins-and-needles sensation made his feet ache too badly to touch. "My heart, huh? I wish I could just follow my heart."

"That's the true trick to Celestial Spirit magic," Grandpa Belo said sagely. "Now, let's sit inside for a while. It's time for you to study about the Canis Minor."

* * *

**In the Spirit World**

Lucy woke up to the tinkling of bells and a song in the air. The Spirit World was still an odd place in which to live. The Lion's Mansion, built upon the floating star called Regulus, was a huge home, posh to an extreme. It had only been two days for her. She still was not used to living in what she still called "Loke's house."

There were still signs in the house that reminded her of Loke. His clothes were still in the closet when she arrived, and although Virgo removed them, Lucy asked her to keep one outfit, the green shirt Loke had worn on Tenrou Island. She slept on a tiger-striped bedding that matched a tie he sometimes wore. He had a massive collection of tinted glasses in his bedroom that made Lucy chuckle. Also, Loke had a huge painting of Lucy hung right in the mansion entryway that had shocked and embarrassed her when she first arrived. She found a stuffed animal of a lion Happy had given to Loke one Christmas, and she discovered one entire room in the mansion filled with toy lions from all around the world, made in styles and materials not found these days. She guessed some were hundreds, if not thousands, of years old.

Although Virgo offered to get rid of these trappings, Lucy felt they somehow belonged there. Well, except for the massive portrait. She gave that thing to Taurus, whose eyes lit up with hearts when she told him to take it away.

Lucy rose and stretched with a yawn. She wrapped a yellow silk robe trimmed in orange fur around her and walked to the window. Outside, bright orbs shined, and some of the smaller Celestial Spirits were out playing amongst the golden river that flowed by the Lion's Mansion. It was the Ecliptic Path, and it connected all twelve of the Zodiac Spirits' homes. A few of the Spirits out there were waiting to see this newcomer to their world. They waved excitedly as soon as they realized she was standing by the window. Uncertainly, Lucy waved back. She suddenly knew what it was like to be royalty standing on a balcony and waving to the commoners.

Suddenly, someone shouted, "All hail the new Zodiac leader!"

Lucy backed away at that. She still felt uncomfortable with this position and the honor that came with it.

She left the bedroom and walked down a sweeping stairway. One thing she hated about large houses was that it took forever to get from one place to another. She had never liked that while living in her father's mansion, and the Lion's Mansion was perhaps even worse. At least it was private here. Loke might have liked opulent splendor and dating many girls, but he also liked his privacy. There were no servants in this huge house...only one friend.

Capricorn had taken it upon himself to serve Lucy full-time, at least until she got used to the Spirit World. He cooked for her, kept things tidy, and tutored her in Spirit World history. When they went out, he guided her around this new dimension and showed her all it had to offer. Dressed in his suit and sunglasses, the Goat looked like a mix between a butler and a mafia hitman.

"I hope you slept well, Lucy-sama," he greeted as he brought some tea to the breakfast table.

Lucy sat and yawned again. "I'm still not used to all this, but I think I slept better."

"No nightmares?"

She pouted and kept that to herself. They were not nightmares, per say. Nightmares were horrific fantasies of an overactive imagination. What she dreamed were memories. Some left her in tears, memories of Loke, the day she rescued him from disappearing, fighting with him against Bickslow, watching in grief as he and Aries battled, shouting at him to come back to her as she left him to fight Caprico, and the gleam in his eyes when he asked her to marry him at the Grand Magic Games. Others were mere memories: the Tower of Heaven, fighting Oración Seis, Tenrou Island, the dragon attack, moments when she thought for sure she might lose her friends, except they always came through.

Then, there were memories of Gray: the first time she met him—which was not necessarily a good impression—treating his wounds on Galuna Island, the time Gemini told her Gray's true feelings about her, having him save her in Edolas, fighting together in the Grand Magic Games, and of course their last moments together, giving him the most sweetest farewell. Good dreams, normally, and some made her wake up flushed and moist between her thighs. However, they made her heart hurt even worse, especially when she woke up every morning and realized another three months had passed in Earthland.

"Over six months now," she whispered to herself. "I wonder what everyone back home is doing."

"I have heard only one rumor, Lucy-sama," Capricorn offered, standing to the side like a diligent butler. "The Nikora named Harto says his owner is training a Fairy Tail wizard."

"Eh? Fairy Tail has a new celestial summoner already?" Something sad tugged at her heart. Had they really replaced her so soon? "I guess a lot of people would have come searching for the Gold Keys. They're one-of-a-kind, after all. And Harto...I remember him. Grandpa Belo had a Nikora named Harto. He's the perfect tutor to help someone learn how to use a Gold Key. I wonder who Gray deemed appropriate to own us."

"That's the thing, Lucy-sama. Harto says his owner's student is a man named Gray."

Lucy dropped her teacup, and it shattered on the ground, splashing hot liquid over the tiles. "Gray?" she whispered, and her hands began to shake. "He...he's training...but why? He's not a Celestial Spirit summoner. He knows nothing about that type of magic."

"So Harto has lamented," Capricorn agreed as he bent over to clean up the spill. "He says the student arrived at his master's house two months ago and has yet to be able to call out a single Spirit. Even for children learning celestial summoning, two months with no progress is often the sign of failure, yet Belo-sama has not given up on him."

Lucy looked aside with flushed cheeks. Gray was working hard to get her back, just like he promised. What had she done? Granted, he had six months to track down Grandpa Belo and study under him, while she had only two days living in this world. Her first day here—only a partial day, really—was spent in a welcoming party. Yesterday, she and Capricorn went sightseeing around the Spirit World. Two days, wasted!

"Capricorn," she said softly. "You've been kind to take care of me while I'm here, so I hate to ask any favors."

"I am eternally bound by my oath to Layla-sama. No request is too big."

"You did so well, teaching me to hone in my magic while in Earthland. Can you teach me to...to be a Celestial Spirit? Like, how to get stronger, how to fight like Loke did, and...and how to open my gate on my own?"

He smiled tenderly and stroked her golden head. So much like her mother! "I will do my very best to teach you to become a true leader of the Zodiac Spirits. However, I have a feeling that fighting is a secondary desire of yours. How about we focus on sensing your owner and utilizing his strength so you can break through the gate?"

Lucy grinned excitedly. If Gray was trying hard, so would she!

Just then, there was a growling roar through the whole house, like a lion that just found dinner.

"Ah, the door," Capricorn said, and he marched over to the entryway.

"_That_ was the door?" Lucy gawked, shaken a little by the roar. "Whatever happened to _ding-dong_?"

She followed a little behind, tugging her yellow an orange mantel closer around her. She was curious who might be visiting, but also aware that she would likely have a lot of visitors. She really was not in the mood to entertain others. However, she recognized the "I'm sorry" right away.

"Aries!" Lucy rushed forward before the Goat could chase away the Ram.

The pink-haired lamb twisted her hands together nervously. "I'm sorry, Lucy...I mean, Leo."

"No, call me Lucy," she insisted. She still shivered whenever someone called her Leo. She supposed it would take a very long time to get used to that.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to check on how you're adjusting. Are you eating well? Are you feeling okay? I know it's sad to leave your other friends, but I want you to know, you have friends here, too."

Lucy smiled gently at the fluffy girl. "Thank you, Aries. I thought you would hate me for letting Loke die."

"No! Not one bit. I know precisely what it's like." She looked up at Capricorn. "I'm sorry, but can we talk alone."

He dutifully nodded and returned to the kitchen. Aries walked to a plush leopard print bench against the wall and took a seat, daintily pulling her tiny skirt down. Lucy sat next to her and took the Ram's trembling hand. The feel of the metal rings on her fingers was still strange.

"I'm sorry I never told you this," Aries began bashfully. "It's not really something we tell our owners, even the good ones, but now you're one of us. I was once in your place. I was a human, a celestial wizard like you were. Not a very strong one," she admitted sadly. "Due to my carelessness, the former Spirit of the Ram died. I took his place."

"You were human?" Lucy gasped.

She nodded bashfully. "How else did you think a girl like me is _the Ram_, a male sheep? I was so scared when the Spirit King shouted at me that it was my fault. Even now, I feel guilty about it. He...he gave his life to save mine! Aries—the old Aries—was the nicest Spirit ever. I still miss him. At the time, Leo helped me to adjust. He became my first friend here. I asked him once why he bothered. He said because he, too, had once been human. Virgo too. They know what it's like. That's why Virgo always wants to be punished, because she never got over the guilt, and why Leo is so kind to ladies, because the old Leo was a woman who died to protect him, and why I'm always saying sorry, because I'll always feel sorry for causing my Spirit's death. Now you have to deal with the guilt in your own way. Still, I want you to know you're not alone. There are others here who have suffered that feeling of guilt, too. I want to help you, just like Leo helped me."

"Aries," Lucy sighed, and she gave the Ram a hug. "You're the sweetest little lamb ever. Can I ask what your human name was?"

She blushed brighter pink than her hair. "It was...M-...Mary."

Lucy blinked dumbly. "Mary?" Aries closed her eyes tightly and nodded fast. "As in, Mary had a little lamb, it's fleece was white as snow?"

Aries cowered down and nodded more. "And everywhere that Mary went, the Lamb was sure to go. He really did follow me everywhere, too."

"That's...so..._cute!_" Lucy squealed. "So, should I call you Mary?"

"No! Oh please, no!" Aries trembled and shook her head fast. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to be called that name ever again. Mary failed her lamb. I got the Ram killed. I'm Aries now. You'll probably feel the same way after a while. It also took me a very long time before I didn't flinch when people called me Aries, but now it's just my name. It's who I am. I'm not that weak human anymore. I'm the Spirit of the Ram, Aries. So please, call me that."

"If you insist. But for now, still call me Lucy."

"Yeah, I know." She smiled as if she understood perfectly well why the new Lion still refused to go by Loke's title. "Capricorn said something about you wanting to learn how to open your gate. I'm not good at that sort of thing, but maybe I can help. At the least, I can cheer you on. If you want to open your gate to return to your other friends, I think all of the Zodiacs would be willing to train you. We all know how well you treat your friends, so we don't want you to miss out being with your human friends."

"That'd be great," Lucy smiled thankfully. "Thank you for telling me, Aries. I know it must have been hard for you to admit something like that, but somehow, knowing I'm not the only one who failed as a celestial wizard...it makes me feel a little less guilty. Maybe that's mean of me."

"You didn't fail as a master, Lucy," Aries assured her. "I thought the same thing. I still do, sometimes. I admit, I was weak, too weak to properly use a Gold Key. I inherited the Key to the Gate of the Ram from my mother; I didn't win it through combat like you. You were a really strong owner, believe me! Leo was proud of you. You didn't fail him. It's our duty to put our life on the line for our human owners. It's a small price to pay for immortality, but even that isn't guaranteed. We know this, and still...I'm sorry, but if it had been me, I wouldn't have hesitated to give my life for you. You'll come to realize the same thing. We get such a short time with our owners, so we serve them to our utmost best. The only way they fail us is when they abuse us. You never once did that! We all loved you as an owner, and we are honored to have you as our Zodiac leader." She squeezed Lucy's fingers in her own tiny hands. "Leo used to say, he wished you could be in this world all the time, because you are the greatest owner he ever had, and he wanted you to be immortal, too. Maybe it's not very comforting, but I think he must have been privately happy at the very end, knowing that wish would be granted. Since he can't be here for you, I'll do my best to be your friend...I'm sorry."

"Oh Aries!" Lucy sighed, and she threw her arms around the Ram. "You're already my friend. Thank you!" She sniffled and began to cry. "Thank you so much!"

Aries patted Lucy's back as she felt her shaking in sobs. "We'll get you back to your human friends. That's a promise!"

There was another knock on the door. Lucy wiped her face as Capricorn returned and opened for the guest. At first, it seemed like no one was there. Then they noticed two Nikoras down below.

"Plue!" Lucy cried out at seeing her little white dog. "And Harto."

"Puu-puun!" Plue began to dance and talk in an interpretive way. "Puu, pu-puun-pu, puu puu pu-puuuuun."

"What is he saying?" asked Lucy.

Capricorn translated, "He says he has just made a contract...with Gray Fullbuster."

Harto also danced with Plue. "Puu-puun puun puu!"

"'My master did it,' he says," Capricorn told them.

"Gray," Lucy whispered, feeling her throat choke up. She collapsed to her knees and hugged Plue tightly. "You even smell like Earthland." She grabbed Harto into the hug, too. "Thank you for helping to train him."

"Puu-puun!"

"'My pleasure,'" Capricorn interpreted with a gentle smile. "Come, Lucy-sama. Having the Lion kneel like that is unbecoming. We have much to train you now."

Still, Lucy hugged the two Little Dogs as she thought of Gray, his smile, the warmth that could shine through his ice cold eyes, and she sensed a little of his magic still lingering on Plue. She felt her heart squeezed by the pain of missing him.

"Months," she began unsteadily. "It took Gray months to learn a new magic. How long will it take me? A month in the Spirit World is seven years in Earthland. If it took him six months..."

"It won't take that long," Capricorn promised. "With my help..."

"And mine!" blurted Aries, but she shrank down at interrupting. "I'm sorry."

"Puu-puun," Plue and Harto both volunteered.

"...we shall make Lucy into a proper Lion and let you return to your friends swiftly," Capricorn swore. "Not months, but it might take a few days if we train intensely."

"That could still mean years back home," she realized sadly.

"Every moment counts," Capricorn warned her.

She wondered, would Gray wait that long? Yes! He would wait! She knew he would. If he was going this far to bring her back, then Gray knew it would take him years to learn how to open her gate. She did not want him to have to wait that long.

"It's a race, then," she decided, drying her eyes and standing up with both Nikoras in her arms. "Can I break through my gate first, or can Gray learn how to open my gate? For some reason, I'm feeling really competitive now."

Aries came up and patted her back. "That's the Spirit of the Lion within you, Lucy."

"No," she smiled. "You can call me Leo. When Gray opens my gate, he'll be calling for Leo. I need to get used to that name. If I want to open the Lion's Gate on my own, I need to accept that I'm now Leo the Lion, and the leader of the Ecliptic Zodiac Spirits." She marched back into the kitchen with determination.

Aries watched her with a smile as she stood beside Capricorn. "I'm sorry, I thought it'd take her weeks to realize that first step. Before she can even hope to open her gate, she has to embrace being who she is."

"It's a trait of Leos to be stubborn," Capricorn said sagely. "They can both stubbornly hold onto the past, or stubbornly embrace what is before them. If we're to train her to accomplish a task as ambitious as opening her gate, we have to mold that determined instinct in the right direction."

"I know," Aries nodded bashfully. "I worked with Leo...Loke...enough to have learned that much."

Capricorn chuckled in a fond memory. "If I recall right, you were the best at twisting him to your whims, little Aries. May we hope the same sway holds true over this Leo as well. In my experience, female Leos are far more stubborn than male ones."

"_Kyaaa!_" came a shout from the kitchen. The Ram and Goat hurried over. Lucy was pointing to an empty place by the breakfast table. "Plue, he just disappeared!"

Aries giggled. "He was summoned, silly."

* * *

**In Earthland**

"Open the Gate of the Canis Minor! Nikora!"

Gray held the Silver Key out, felt the connection strongly this time since he was calling a Spirit with whom he already had a contract, and poured his magic through the key to the gate. He felt, just briefly, a taste of that other world, Plue's spirit, and pulled that spirit to him. Yet this time, he sensed something more.

"Puu-puun!" Plue cheered when he landed on Earthland grass.

"Lucy!" Gray cried out. "I...I sensed Lucy."

"Puu pu-puun puun puu-puun!"

"What? You were having breakfast with Lucy?" Gray cried out in surprise. "Wait, why can I understand you?"

Grandpa Belo chuckled at the boy's shocked face. "You're his owner now. You form a close relationship with your Spirits, understanding them."

"Puu-puun! Puun pu-puun pu."

"Lucy is doing well? That's...good to hear," Gray said, feeling relief but also sadness. "Can you give her a message?"

"Puun," the white dog nodded.

"Tell her..." Gray was about to say 'Tell her I love her,' but that was something he needed to say for himself. Besides, it was too embarrassing to use a messenger to relay his feelings. "Tell her I will never give up on her."

Grandpa Belo chuckled at that. "As stubborn as a Leo? Were you, perhaps, born in August?"

"My will is as solid as ice," Gray said firmly. "Well, Grandpa Belo. I can make a contract with a Silver Key Spirit. Can I try a Gold Key now?"

The old man suddenly hit Gray on the head with his cane. "Are you daft, sonny? You've made a contract with the easiest Spirit to summon, and look how long it took you. The Lion's key is the most powerful. Think of the very first Ice-Make ability you learned, then think of the most powerful spell you know. How long did it take you to get that strong? How much training did you have to endure to go from making a simple snowflake to encasing your enemy in ice? Most celestial wizards go their whole life not strong enough to even dream of using a Gold Key. You're nothing but an ice wizard who wants his girlfriend back!"

Gray stood up and towered over the small old man with determination burning in his eyes. "I have a contract with Plue now. I'm not just an ice wizard; I am a Celestial Spirit summoner! I've told you before, if it takes me years, then I will study for years. If it takes me my whole life to get that strong, I will work hard until I'm as old as you. Lucy probably wouldn't want me when I'm old anyway, so do you really think I'm doing this just for her? I miss all of them! I miss Sagittarius and Cancer. I miss Scorpio and Aries. I miss Lyra's voice and Plue's dances. Yes, I want Lucy back desperately, and yes, if it wasn't for her, I might have given all of these keys to someone who could properly use them. But because of her, I want to stay with all of them. They were Lucy's other family, which means they're like family to me, too. All of them!" He pulled out the keyring and showed the entire collection to Grandpa Belo. "I will learn to call out all of them. I will make contracts with all of them, not just Lucy. I will reunite our _family_. Hey Plue?"

"Puu-puun?"

"Tell Lucy that, too."

"Puun!" he nodded firmly.

Then Gray waved the key. "Close the Gate of the Canis Minor." Plue vanished, and immediately Gray pulled out another Silver Key. "I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate!"

"Two in one day?" Grandpa Belo said in shock. "You're not ready for that."

Still, Gray thrust his magic into the key, too determined to give in. "I will get stronger! For her, for her Spirits, for my pride as a member of Fairy Tail, I will get stronger!"

"Stubborn and prideful," Grandpa Belo scoffed softly. "You and Leo deserve one another."

Gray suddenly felt the connection. It was now, or admit defeat. "Open the Gate of the Lyre! Lyra!"

Magic flowed from him, out through the key, and into the pathway to the gate. Before she even arrived, he heard a singing voice in the far distance. Was this another tiny glimpse into the Spirit World? Then he felt the magic of the Spirit of the Lyre beside him.

"Oh, it's you!" Lyra said in amazement. "Hey, does this mean you're a celestial wizard, too?"

"Yes," Gray said breathlessly. "Yes, I am." He felt proud admitting that. "Lyra, I'd be most honored if you'd make a contract with me."

"Oh dear, when you ask like such a gentleman, how can I say no?" She blushed brightly and laughed in a musical voice. "The same contract I had with Lucy, okay? Wednesday of the second week of the month, Thursday and Friday of the third week of the month. Although, for you, I might add in the second half of the first Tuesdays of the month."

"Why such weird limitations if Spirit World time and Human World time flow differently?" asked Gray.

"Silly!" Lyra giggled. "I'm in high demand, and although I'm a Silver Key, there aren't hundreds of me like the Nikoras. I have to plan out my day carefully, so I worked it into three shifts, with three days a month given to each owner, and some time to myself so I can rest my voice throughout the day. But I just love to sing!" she squealed. "I'm happy singing all day long. Ah, but today is Monday, so I have to wait for another owner. Let's agree on that contract so I can hurry home and be ready, okay?"

As they worked on the agreement, Grandpa Belo summoned Harto. The old man hugged the little Nikora as he watched his student make his second contract.

"Just like pushing the Lion into a path of stubborn determination, eh, Harto? That boy will go far with the right frame of mind, but he has to do it for the love of all Celestial Spirits and his pride as a summoner, not just for something as fickle as teenage infatuation."

"Puun puu-puun pu puu-punn."

"What's that? You say this isn't just infatuation?"

"Puun puuuun."

"True love, eh?" Grandpa Belo chuckled to himself as he watched Gray give Lyra a farewell hug. "I guess love is the most powerful magical bond a person can form with anyone. Yes, my young student will go far indeed."

**End of Chapter 5**

* * *

_A/N: I can say female Leos are stubborn, because I am one, and I am **damn** stubborn!_


	6. Twin Messengers

Chapter 6

**Twin Messengers**

**Six Months Later**

Gray kicked open the door to Grandpa Belo's house with his arms full of grocery bags. Snow slid off his naked torso and flattened his black hair. It was winter, and the chill off the ocean was brutal, although Gray hardly felt it.

"I got the ingredients," he called in. "You haven't died on me yet, have you, old man?"

"You're not that lucky, sonny," Grandpa Belo teased back. "A package arrived for you while you were in town."

"For me? I wonder if it's Mira sending me cookies again. It's almost my birthday, after all." He set the bags down in the kitchen, easily weaved between the mess that he had come to know well, and found a small box sitting near Harto, who greeted him with a _puu-puun._

"Hey there, Harto," Gray smiled, patting the Little Dog's head. "Any news from the Spirit World?"

"Puu-puun puu puu-puun. Puun puu-puun puun puun."

"Well, that's sweet of her. Tell Aries thanks for me. It's good to know she and Lucy are still close friends." Gray picked up the package box and turned it around in his hands. "Too small for cookies." He opened it and saw a silver object shining inside. "A...key? Someone gave me a key?"

Grandpa Belo hobbled on his cane into the messy room. "Happy early birthday, sonny. If I don't give it to you now, I might forget in a few days. It's not just a present. It's a test."

Gray gave a good-natured laugh. "Old man, everything with you is a test. Heading into town to fetch you milk and potatoes was probably a test."

"Did you use a Spirit?"

"I didn't need to. The snow doesn't bother me."

"Then this is also a lesson. Don't overuse your Spirits. If you don't need their help, don't bother them by calling them out needlessly. They have lives as well."

"This is what I mean by everything being a test," Gray pointed out. Then he pulled the key from its box. "I don't recognize this one. Which one is it?"

"So far, the Celestial Spirits you've summoned are ones who know you. I wanted to see you try one you've never met."

"I met all of them when I visited the Spirit World," Gray retorted with a bit of pride. It was one thing he had done that his ancient tutor had not.

"A brief bump at a party does not make an acquaintance," Grandpa Belo said sagely. "Besides, I think this one will be helpful to you."

Gray looked at the key's design. Since Grandpa Belo was purposely not telling him which constellation it summoned, he guessed that meant he was supposed to figure it out completely on his own. "The symbol looks like some sort of vehicle. A chariot? Could it be Auriga?"

"Shucks! And here I was hoping to stump you," laughed Grandpa Belo. "You've studied well, sonny. However, you should summon him outside. He's quite the Celestial Spirit, you see."

Gray, Grandpa Belo, and Harto walked out into the snow. Then Gray lifted the key in his hand and poured his magic into it. "I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate! Open the Gate of the Charioteer! Auriga!"

This time, instead of a small Celestial Spirit like Plue, the poof was massive. Before them was a gold and red chariot pulled by four gleaming white horses. A man in centurion armor stood on the chariot. He struggled to hold a goat slung over his left shoulder and two baby goats under one arm.

"Quit squirming, you stupid Kids, or I'll pull this chariot over right now and...oh! We're in the Human World," he realized, gazing around at the frosty fishing village. Then he saw Gray. "You must be my new owner." He attempted to bow, but the goat on his shoulder almost slipped, panicked with a bleating cry, and dug its hooves into the man's back. "Ow! Amalthea, stop it!" Finally, he calmed down the goat. "Forgive me. I am Auriga, but please call me Erichthonius."

Gray pouted a little. "To be honest, Auriga is easier to pronounce."

The Charioteer sighed in disappointment. "They all say that. This is Amalthea," he said, motioning to the she-goat. "I have no clue why I'm stuck looking after her and the Kids, but like Bo-Peep and her sheep, Erichthonius has his goats. May I give you a ride somewhere, Master?"

"Awesome! Instant transportation. Natsu would hate this," Gray laughed, but the happiness slowly faded. "Natsu. Man, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I almost miss that flame-brain."

"You can return to Fairy Tail at any time," Grandpa Belo told him.

"No, I'm not leaving until I master a Gold Key. Ooh, but hey, since I have Eric out..."

"Eric?" the Charioteer questioned. "Why did I never think of going by Eric?"

"...can I get you some lunch from the village?" Gray asked his tutor. "Some cod? Winter flounder? Maybe some roe if a small town like this has any? The weather is nice, so a ride would be fun."

"See if they have any sayori and we'll make sushi tonight," Grandpa Belo decided. "You two ride together for a while. Get to know one another."

Gray hopped on and helped Erichthonius by taking the two Kids off his hands. With Amalthea the she-goat still over his shoulder, Erichthonius whipped the horses into a trot, and the great Charioteer Auriga carried Gray down the powdery hill.

Grandpa Belo watched them as a bit of snow began to fall. "The boy might have some talent after all, Harto."

"Pu-puun," the Little Dog agreed.

* * *

**Half a Year Later, Summertime**

Gray held out a Silver Key. "Open the Gate of the Compass! Pyxis!"

The small bird-like Spirit poofed with a loud "_Pikuu!_"

"Very good," Grandpa Belo praised, slowly clapping his arthritic hands. "You managed that almost without any effort. Your practice is definitely showing."

"Of course," Gray smiled, petting Pyxis while the Compass cooed. "Pyxis was the last of Lucy's Silver Key Spirits. Okay, Pyxis, let's set up a contract."

The aged tutor watched his pupil. For a little over a year now, Gray had proved him wrong time and again. Just when he was about to give up on the hopeless boy, he managed to summon his first Celestial Spirit. When he thought there was no way Gray could grasp the concept of loving his Spirits like friends, he called out Horologium and spent a whole afternoon talking with the Clock about their past missions. Even this Spirit, one Lucy had only recently obtained before leaving the Human World, one Gray did not really know, he managed to summon Pyxis without any strain.

"Done!" Gray declared, closing the book where he had begun to keep track of all of the conditions for each contract.

"You should use him a little," Grandpa Belo schooled.

"Yeah, I know, but I don't really plan on going anywhere that might need a compass."

Pyxis looked depressed and let out a sad "_pikuu_."

"Oh, all right!" Gray laughed, scratching the Spirit's wings and cheering it up. "Pyxis, which way is east?"

With eager precision, the Compass pointed toward the left.

"Which way is west?"

An about-face, and it pointed in the opposite direction.

"Which way is Lucy?"

Without any hesitation, Pyxis turned to Gray and pointed to his heart.

Gray knelt down and hugged the Spirit tightly. Then he whispered in its ear, "Hey, tell Lucy hi for me."

"Pikuu!" it nodded eagerly, then poofed away.

Gray rose back to his feet and grinned eagerly down to Grandpa Belo. "That's the last of the Silver Keys. Can I try a Gold Key now? Or do you have a new key for me to learn? I wouldn't mind increasing my units."

"No, you have enough for now, more than most wizards. Fine, we will move on to Gold Keys."

"Yes!" Gray cheered, pumping the air with his fist.

"We'll start with a small and easy one, Gemini."

"Oh, okay. I know Gemini." Gray reached to his keyring, flipped through them, and pulled off the Twins.

"Remember, summoning one of the Zodiacs is nothing like summoning a Silver Key Spirit. The amount of magic it takes is far greater. Your concentration must never waver. They can also be willful things. Their contracts must be adhered to without fault. Now, prepare your mind."

Gray closed his eyes, reached out with his senses, and felt the spirit of Earthland all around him. Sensing this was now easy, but he recalled how many months it took him to learn just this much. Relaxed, with complete control over his magic, he lifted the golden key.

"I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate!"

Gray suddenly gasped. The magic being sucked from his body was intense. The way he had to flow magic out through the key was still a unique experience, completely unlike his Ice-Make ability where his magic was used to create. Having his magic power flowing away like this was tiring, and he had already just summoned Pyxis.

Grandpa Belo watched his student with a discerning eye and slowly, sadly, shook his head. He could see Gray straining already. He knew the boy was not ready for something this advanced. Another year, maybe, but to master a Gold Key in such a short amount of time...impossible!

Gray gritted his teeth to keep the flow of magic constant. His muscles began to shake at the fatigue, but he refused to give up. He dug deeper into him, channeling all the magic he could muster. Still, it felt like he was about to pass out. His ears were ringing. His head felt light. Spots danced in his vision.

"Cut off the flow, sonny. You did good enough for your first attempt."

Good enough? No! A Fairy Tail wizard did not do _good enough_. They succeeded despite all odds. They fought until they collapsed, and then they kept struggling against any adversity. Gray's will was set. He refused to fail. He dug down even deeper into himself, tapped into his Second Origin, and used the massive amount of magic power stored within.

To the side, Grandpa Belo's squinty eyes widened in surprise as Gray's hair began to flutter from the power of the Zodiac Gate's link to the Human World. He sensed the connection being made, and a powerful magic circle glowed under Gray's feet. Veins were popping out on the boy's neck and face, yet still he shouted:

"Open the Gate of the Twins! Gemini!"

There was a bright golden flash, and Gray felt weakness overwhelm him. The old man was right. The magic used for Gold Keys was on a completely different level. He suddenly had a much greater respect for how powerful Lucy was to summon up to six Zodiacs in one day, and even summoning two at once.

He felt lightheaded and realized he was falling backward. Then two arms caught him, and he felt himself bump into something warmly soft. When he looked around, he realized he was resting on two voluptuous breasts.

"Whoa!" he cried out, pulling back. "I'm sorry, ma'am, I didn't..."

Then he saw her face. The blonde hair, brown eyes, and gentle smile were everything he remembered. A year apart meant nothing. He would never forget such a lovely face.

"Lucy?" he whispered. His heart pounded, emotions surged in him, and he grabbed Lucy hard, squeezing her close to him with desperation. "Oh God, Lucy. I've missed you so much."

Grandpa Belo frowned in pity and softly said, "Gray, look again."

He pulled back. No, there was something different, something about the eyes.

"Gemini," he realized, feeling that surge of love sink hard.

"Sorry for the facade," the mimicking Twins shrugged guiltily. "We thought you would like to hear her voice again. Plus, we were worried if your feelings for Lucy had grown cold after all this time."

"Not a chance," Gray said firmly.

"We know," Gemini smiled, and the hand with a pink Fairy Tail guild symbol reached up to caress Gray's face. "The way you hug, the look in your eyes, the thoughts in your mind...we can tell you love her deeply. We know now just how much you want to see her."

"How is she?" he asked, hoping a Zodiac might have more news than the lesser Spirits.

"She's training hard, just like you. She avoids her duties as the Lion in order to train to see you again. Her love for you burns like a sun sign. The passions of a Lion are not easily quenched."

Then Gemini leaned forward. Gray watched in surprise and began to pull away, yet those pink lips pressed against his cheek.

"From Lucy," Gemini told him, winking those large, brown eyes. "Do you wish us to give her a message?"

Gray felt it was unfair that all of his messages to Lucy were through other Celestial Spirits, but at least he could let her know he was still here waiting. "Tell her I love her. Tell her I'm not giving up on her. Make sure she doesn't do anything foolish. I know time works differently there, so she probably feels under pressure. I'll wait as long as it takes. I'm going to get stronger. I'll definitely bring her back, even if I'm a middle-aged geezer by the time I do it. Just make sure she doesn't do anything that might hurt herself. Tell her to wait for me, like I'm waiting for her."

"We will," Gemini nodded solemnly. The Twins stroked his cheek right over the kiss mark. "She loves you deeply, Gray Fullbuster. Your love for her will make her stronger. You two are lucky to have one another. Call on us any day. We will help you to reunite. Gemi and Mini know we can never be separated for long, and it's the same for Lucy and Gray. Like a binary star system, you will always be attracted to one another. Keep working hard. _Piri-piri!_" The image of Lucy burst into the two round-headed Twins, and then they also vanished in a sparkle of golden light.

Gray was silent, staring down at his keyring. He flipped through them to the Lion's key and traced it with his thumb.

"You're not ready for that one yet, sonny," Grandpa Belo warned.

"I know," Gray admitted. "I felt how much stronger I must get..." He squeezed the key. "...but I'm not giving up! I'm closer to her now. I'm going to master this magic; I don't care how long it takes. Lucy's working hard, and so will I." His gaze iced over with hard determination. "I'm bringing her back!"

* * *

**In the Spirit World**

Lucy collapsed to her knees in exhaustion. Sweat moistened her hair and made it stick out more wildly than normal. Capricorn knelt beside her, and Aries quickly handed her a goblet filled with water from the Milky Way, which could strengthen a Celestial Spirit who had been weakened in the Human World through overuse or injury.

"It's so hard," Lucy panted in exhaustion. "Loke broke through his gate so many times, I figured it'd be simple."

"It took him a long time to learn that skill," Capricorn said, massaging her tensed shoulders.

Lucy glared back at him. "I don't _have_ a long time! Every day that passes here is another three months back in Earthland. It's already been over a year for them. Every day, one or two Spirits come and tell me Gray just made a new contract with them. They get to see him, yet I can't. It's not fair!" She stared down into the goblet filled with water that glowed like starshine. "I'm not even sure how long Gray would wait for me."

"As long as it takes," two voices said at the same time. Gemi and Mini floated up the Milky Way river to where Lucy was practicing on the banks. "Not a long wait now, we think."

Lucy rose back to her feet with eagerness in her face. "You mean..."

The Twins poofed and took on the form of Gray. Lucy gasped to see him again, shirtless and everything. He looked slightly older, and his hair had been cut a bit shorter from the last time she saw him. She realized, this was Gray as he had appeared in the Human World just now.

Gemini smiled at her. "We are now contracted to Gray Fullbuster," the Spirit said in Gray's deep voice.

Lucy squealed with excitement and hugged the Twins hard. "That's wonderful! So, he mastered a Gold Key already? Wow, he's gotten stronger fast."

"It's taken him a year," Gemini pointed out. "He left a message for you."

"Oh?" asked Lucy. Other Celestial Spirits had given short messages from Gray, mostly reassurance that he would study hard.

The mimicked form of Gray suddenly grabbed Lucy and gave her a wildly passionate kiss. Her eyes went huge, and she flailed out. Sure, the kiss was exactly like Gray's, down to the cold breath from his nostrils, but she knew this was only Gemini. Then those strong hands reached around and grabbed Lucy's butt. She gasped, and a tongue plunged in, licking her teeth, making her head swim with dizziness.

Aries covered her eyes and blushed at such raw passion. Capricorn reluctantly allowed it for ten seconds, but then he stomped forward and yanked Gemini off of Lucy. At the Goat's sharp tug, the Twins reverted to normal.

"That's not what he actually said," Gemi explained.

"We read his mind, and that's what he wants to do," nodded Mini.

"Well," they said together, "you get the idea, _piri-piri!_" The Twins laughed mischievously while Lucy tried to clear her head.

"He also said don't do anything to hurt yourself," Gemi recalled.

"Yeah, he'll wait for you, no matter how long it takes, _piri-piri_," agreed Mini.

Again together, they asked, "Can we give him a message back?"

"No!" Capricorn said sternly.

"Aww, you're no fun, old Goat," said Mini.

"No fun at all, _piri-piri_," Gemi agreed.

"Thank you," Lucy whispered, emotionally overwhelmed. "I...I need to rest. I'll head home now."

"I'll walk with you," Aries offered eagerly.

Lucy handed the goblet back to her. "No, I...I need time alone," she said with unsteady words. She turned around and began to walk back toward the Lion's Mansion.

Aries pouted as they watched Lucy walking down the riverbank. "Poor Lucy. Is she angry?"

"Nope," Mini chirped. "Not angry."

"Horny," Gemi told them. "Very, very horny."

"Gemini!" Capricorn scolded.

The Twins zipped upward into the air and out of his reach. "_Piri-piri! _She's a Lion after all!" They danced circles in the air with happiness, running away from the angry Goat.

* * *

**Back in Earthland**

Gray sat in a sterile hospital, watching Grandpa Belo lying on a hard bed, listening to the beeps of monitors. Harto and Plue both sat at the foot of the bed, looking at their masters with worry. Suddenly, the ancient tutor stirred and moaned groggily.

Gray stood up quickly and rushed to the bedside. "Old man," he whispered worriedly. "Can you hear me?"

Grandpa Belo grumbled as he looked around. "Guess I passed out, eh?"

"It was a heart attack. The doctors said if I hadn't frozen you and used Auriga to rush you here, you would have died in minutes."

"Using Ice-Make magic and Celestial Summoning together to save some old fool like me? I'm lucky to have you here, sonny."

Gray smiled in relief to hear him able to speak so lightly after almost dying. "I'm glad you woke up. I wouldn't know what to do with two Nikoras," he said, smiling to the two Little Dogs sitting together.

"I'm not handing Harto over yet, sonny," the old man chuckled weakly.

The pink and yellow doggy hugged his master and nuzzled into Grandpa Belo's long mustache while making sad noises.

"It's all right, Harto. I'm still here." Grandpa Belo sighed and petted his Little Dog. "This is probably the stars' way of telling me that it's time to let you go, my ambitious student."

Gray's eyes widened in shock. "No way! Old man, if you're sending me away so you can die in peace..."

"I don't plan on dying yet," Grandpa Belo assured him. "However, I'll probably be in this hospital for a few weeks. There's not much more I can teach you. You've mastered Silver Keys, and you now know how to summon a Gold Key..."

"But I've only made contracts with Gemini and Taurus so far," Gray argued.

Grandpa Belo looked at him firmly. "She's waiting for you, Gray. Don't waste your youth with an old man like me. Go back to Fairy Tail. Use your keys; fight beside your Spirits. Get stronger through practical use, like Lucy-chan did. Think how quickly she grew stronger doing missions with you, Natsu, Erza, and Happy. You will also improve with the help and encouragement of your friends. You're ready, sonny. Pack your things up. I hate long goodbyes, so I want you gone before I'm allowed to leave this hospital. Just lock up when you go and leave the key under the mat. Don't even bother coming back here. No more wasting your time with me."

Gray's forehead furrowed with worries. "After nearly two years, it's hard to just walk away."

"Then you know how Lucy-chan felt when she had to leave you. It wasn't an easy choice for her."

"I know," Gray muttered. "But it was the right choice."

"Like this is the right choice. Fairy Tail will always be your true home, until the heavens call you away to your final resting place. So go back home, Gray-kun...and bring _her_ back home, too. When you can do that, come visit me again. I'd like to see Lucy-chan once more."

Gray smiled sadly. "It's a deal. That means I need to get strong enough before you croak on me, old man."

"It means I can't die until you come pester me again, sonny."

Gray hesitated a moment, worried for his tutor, but he knew Grandpa Belo was right. He had a goal to reach, and sitting around in a hospital was not going to make that dream come true.

"I'll write to you from time to time," he promised.

The old man nodded. "If I find any spare keys, I'll send them your way. You can never have too many units."

"Thanks...for everything." Then Gray stood up. "Come on, Plue. We're going home."

"Puu-puun!" Plue cheered as he followed Gray out of the hospital room.

Grandpa Belo stroked Harto's round head as he watched them leave. "That boy has a great destiny before him, but it's a path he has to walk himself."

"Puun!" the Little Dog agreed.

**End of Chapter 6**

* * *

_A/N: Auriga is the constellation of the Charioteer. As legend goes, Erichthonius (pronounced "erik-tahn-ee-us") was the son of Hephaestus and Gaia, and raised by the goddess Athena. He was lamed in the feet, so he invented the quadriga, or four-horse-drawn chariot. With his chariot, he battled the usurper of the city of Athens, won the war, and became the new king. He later competed and won many races with his chariot. His deeds and inventiveness pleased the gods. Zeus was so impressed, he rose Erichthonius into the heavens to become a constellation. Within this constellation is also Amalthea, the she-goat who breast-fed the infant Zeus, and the _Haedi_, or Kids ("kids" as in baby goats). As for why poor Eric is stuck holding onto these goats...no one knows! Maybe he's good with animals._


	7. Homecoming

Chapter 7

**Homecoming**

Gray walked through the iron gates of the majestic Fairy Tail guild hall and gazed up at the castle-like structure. A sense of pride burned through his veins at the banners that fluttered with the breeze, making the fairy printed on them appear to be alive and flapping. He had helped to construct this building. Although the guild lost it for a while during their seven-year absence and had to move, they got it back, their true home. He looked at areas he had personally worked on, and he remembered the sweat and laughter of that time.

"I'm home," he whispered with a sigh of relief.

He walked in and passed the souvenir stand. Max was tending it as usual, bundled against a freak spring cold snap that made it feel as if it might snow at any moment.

"Hello, sir," the sand wizard said in a shivering tone. "Would you like a souvenir or sign up for a tour of the grounds? We have discounts for...wait..." He sat up stiffly and gawked. "Gray? You're...you're back?"

"Hey, Max," he smiled, already feeling warm at meeting old friends.

Gray kept walking, mounted the steps, and opened the massive doors. A blast of warmth enveloped him, along with the smells of savory food and sounds of dancing music. Shouting, clanking beer mugs, and laughter radiated out from the hall.

Gray paused in the entry, looking around in nostalgia. It was slightly different. The people looked pretty much the same, but there were obvious changes. Macao had more silver in his hair, Droy had lost some weight, Romeo was in the midst of a growth spurt and was probably the same height as Natsu had been, and Wendy had developed into a shapely fourteen-year-old. Juvia's hair was down to her mid-back now, and she was showing off a diamond engagement ring with blushing cheeks. Levy's hair had also grown out, and she was cuddled in a corner with Gajeel, who had cut his hair and almost—_almost_—looked civilized. Erza's hair was also cut shorter, the scarlet strands barely touching her shoulders. Much to Gray's surprise, she sat at a table discussing caster magic versus weapons magic with Alzack, a heavily pregnant Bisca, and Jellal, of all people.

Yes, they had changed. He left them two years ago. He probably had also changed during that time.

Just then, he heard a high gasp, and Mirajane cried out, "Good heavens! Gray? Is that really you?"

The guild fell silent as everyone's attention turned to the doors. Gray felt dozens of eyes on him. After living in a small town with mostly just an old man around him, all the attention was a bit intimidating. He did not know what to say, how to greet them, so he just stood there and looked around.

Juvia perked up in astonishment. "Gray-sama!"

Cana set her beer barrel down for a moment. "Damn. I lost the bet."

Lisanna clapped happily. "Gray, it's been ages! My goodness, you look great."

Gray felt the tingle of familiarity, but all those faces gawking at him made him realize that he had become a bit of an outsider. There were people in the guild he did not recognize, newcomers he had never met. He thought he now understood how Gildarts felt: coming back home to find things different, new faces, new names to learn, people growing up too fast, a sense of missing some important developments amongst his friends, his nakama, his family! Some things would always be familiar, and some things could drastically change.

"Oi, you droopy-eyed bastard!"

_That_ was familiar!

A flaming hand shot forward, and Gray found himself roughly pinned against the wall. Natsu had barely changed at all. His pink hair was cut a bit shorter, his muscles a little bigger, and it looked like he was finally starting to shave, but otherwise those squinty eyes were the same.

"How dare you leave for two years and not tell anyone!"

"What are you talking about, idiot?" Gray grumbled. "I told everyone what was going on. You were there that day when I announced it for the whole guild to know."

"You said you were going off to train. I thought you meant for a few weeks, or maybe just over the summer. Not for two frigging years!" yelled Natsu.

"Those were your own assumptions," Gray mumbled, looking aside. He wondered if the others had thought that way, too. After all, when he left Magnolia to seek out Grandpa Belo, he had no idea it would take so long to learn Celestial Spirit magic.

Natsu's teeth were still clenched. "Do you have any idea how boring the guild has been without you around?"

Gray was momentarily stunned at Natsu's reaction. Then he chuckled and gave a cocky smirk. "Aww, did you miss me? That's rather sweet."

"Who'd miss you, stupid stripper?" The dragon slayer's fist lit aflame and pulled back. "Where the hell is Lucy? Call her out right now."

The playfulness in Gray's face faded. He looked around, and he saw others looking hopeful as well. Levy had left her seat on Gajeel's lap to walk a little closer with cautious eagerness in her face. Mirajane's eyes were shining with hope. Wendy bit her lip in silent excitement.

Gray's head dropped, and his hair fell into his eyes. "Sorry," he muttered. "It seems I'm not strong enough yet."

This time, the fist collided with his cheek, and Gray was slammed to the side until he stumbled to the floor. Pain shot through his whole face, and he smelled burnt skin. He had forgotten just how hard Natsu could punch.

Happy flew forward. "Natsu, don't! He just returned."

The dragon slayer roared in fiery rage. "What the hell have you been doing all this time? Sitting around with your thumb up your ass? You were supposed to learn how to bring Lucy back."

Gray rubbed out the swelling bruise and spit out some blood from his inner cheek slicing into his teeth. "Look, I've been working my ass off! Just when I could finally summon a Zodiac Spirit, my mentor collapsed, and he's stuck in the hospital now, so he sent me home."

"It's been two years, Gray!" Natsu shouted furiously.

Gray snatched up the keyring and showed the silver and gold collection off. "Would you like to try it? Because trust me, if a goddamn retard like you can call Lucy out, I'd give up all of my keys, anything just to see her again."

Juvia sighed with a plaintive smile. "Gray-sama still loves Lucy. So loyal! Juvia thinks that's sweet."

Erza stomped forward now. Natsu backed off quickly, but steam was still coming from his nostrils. Gray was still sitting on the floor rubbing the scorched bruise. He could not meet the Titania's eyes. Surely, she was also disappointed in him. He went off to learn how to bring Lucy back, and he failed. He let down everyone. He would not be surprised if Erza declared that he should leave, find a new mentor, and not return until he was strong enough to _deserve_ to be called a member of Fairy Tail.

"Gray," she began in a stern voice that made him flinch. He almost forgot how scary Erza could be. "If I'm not mistaken, that's more Spirit Keys than Lucy originally had."

He was shocked she could remember a detail like that. "Ah...yeah, I...I managed to get a few more. Just Silver Keys, though."

"Call one out," Erza demanded. "I want to see your progress."

Gray nodded, and he slowly stood up. He looked through the collection, then chuckled as he pulled one forth. "Natsu should like this," he muttered. Gray held the Silver Key up into the air. "Open the Gate of the Dragon! Draco!"

"Dragon?" Natsu gawked, his pointy eyes widening.

"Dragon!" Happy cheered.

There was a puff and flash, and a crimson, long, skinny, Chinese-style dragon appeared wrapped around Gray's shoulders.

"Ah, O-Fullbuster-dono summoned me again. Such an honor you bestow up on me, master. I am all fired up!"

Natsu pointed in a challenge. "Hey, that's my line, you chibi-dragon! Come on, Gray! When you said a dragon, I was hoping for a _real_ dragon."

The serpentine dragon glared at the pink-haired young man. "Real dragon? I am not some stuffed toy, you insensitive hoodlum. Is this that dragon slayer you told me about, O-Fullbuster-dono? Shall I put him in his place?"

"No, he's stronger than he looks. I don't want you hurt, Draco," Gray smiled, scratching the small dragon under its chin. "Guys, this is Draco, Spirit of the Dragon Constellation, one of my new Celestial Spirit friends. Draco, this is Fairy Tail. They're my nakama."

The small dragon bowed its head humbly. "A sincere pleasure to make your acquaintance, wizards of Fairy Tail. Please take care of my esteemed master, O-Fullbuster-dono."

"Bring out a real dragon!" Natsu demanded in a tantrum.

Gray glared at him. "Oi, I can't just summon dragons, flame-brain."

Natsu opened his mouth to retaliate, but he stopped short, and his eyes opened in amazement. "Flame-brain?" He blushed a little and laughed. "I haven't been called that in ages. Dammit, I missed you, you perverted exhibitionist droopy-eyed stripper bastard."

Erza beamed with pride. "You've done well, Gray. It takes time to learn new magic, but obviously you've managed. I hope we can advance your training. How about we go on a mission?"

"Ooh, yeah!" Natsu said excitedly. "Erza and I are both S-Class now, so I outrank you. Hah!"

"A mission," Gray said with a private smile. "I haven't done missions in ages. I need to find a place to sleep, first."

"You can sleep with me," Erza decided.

Gray flinched backwards. "What? Ahh...sorry, Erza, but I'm still waiting for Lucy to come back, I'm staying loyal to her, and although you're a lovely lady, Jellal would..."

Jellal came forward with a gentle chuckle. "No, she meant stay in our house. We have our own place outside of town. It's quiet, so you can meditate and train. Plus we have a spare room for the baby."

"Baby?" Gray asked.

Erza placed a hand on her belly, but the armor hid any bulge. "You have seven months to find your own place before the little one arrives."

"Oh...wow...um...uh, c-congratulations, both of you," he said awkwardly. "Wow...I really missed a lot, didn't I?"

"You'll catch up quickly," Erza assured him. "We'll take you home with us tonight. For now, I think a welcome home celebration is in order."

Mirajane jumped up onto a table and conjured a guitar. "Party time! Welcome home, Gray."

The guild cheered. Gray's old friends came up to welcome him back, patting his back hard and wanting to see more Celestial Spirits. Wendy came up and quickly healed his cheek. When Gray thanked her, she blushed and ran away, which made Romeo glare in jealousy. Makarov welcomed Gray back warmly. Cana challenged him to a drinking contest, although he declined, saying that since he had hardly drank any alcohol at all in two years, there was no way he could keep up with her.

Juvia blushed as she admitted that, soon after Gray left, she and Lyon hooked up. After two years of dating, the other Ice-Make wizard proposed to her, and she accepted. That happened only a week ago, on White Day, when Lyon gave Juvia a ring rather than chocolates. She said Lyon wanted Gray to be the best man, but they had not had time to invite him yet. Gray patted her on the head and accepted the offer.

There was a brief brawl with Natsu, in which Gray somehow lost all of his clothes. Facing off with his childhood rival made those two years seem to melt away. Some things changed, and some things would always stay the same. Realizing this made Gray smile in the midst of fighting. Just as the dragon slayer was about to use an attack that could have destroyed a sizable portion of the guild hall, Gray used both Taurus and his own ice magic to defeat the rambunctious boy.

"That is _totally_ unfair!" Natsu shouted, half of his body encased in ice.

Gray twirled the ring of Spirit Keys with a victorious grin. "Perfectly fair, flame-brain. If you don't like it, go learn new magic, or get better at dragon slayer magic. I'll wait two years for you to catch up."

"Catch up?" screamed Natsu. "You conceded bastard! We're gonna fight for real tomorrow. No holding back. I'll show you how strong I've gotten over these two years. I'll kick your ass, perverted exhibitionist."

"Bring it on, sulfur breath!"

* * *

By the end of the night, Gray was tired from dancing and summoning so many Celestial Spirits; tipsy from sharing many toasts and cheers; and high on exhilaration and happiness. Erza and Jellal led him through the dark streets of Magnolia, guiding him when he stumbled from all the alcohol that he was unused to drinking.

"I love being home," Gray mumbled, nearly unintelligible. "I love this guild. I love you too, Erza," he declared in drunk slurs. "I even love Natsu. I love y'all. But...but I love Lucy more. I'mma gonna get her back," he declared in a loud, inebriated shout. "I'll show that damn flame-brain. I'll bring Lucy home. Before your baby is born, I'mma bring her back."

Although drunk, his determination made Erza and Jellal smile.

"We'll always support you, Gray," Erza smiled, hugging his shoulders with sisterly affection.

"I love her," Gray mumbled, tripping a little as the world went fuzzy. Jellal caught him and helped Gray to keep walking. "I love her so much. I want her back. I wanted to bring her home by now, but...but I couldn't. I couldn't do it." He sniffed and hiccuped at the same time. "I failed."

"You didn't fail," Erza assured him. "You're nearly at your goal, Gray. So don't think you've failed when you just have a few more steps to walk."

"I want Lucy to see the guild how it is now," Gray muttered, staring ahead blankly. "I want everyone to have a big party for her, too. This is her home. This...this is _our_ home! And I'm gonna bring her home. I swear it!"

Gray realized that time away from friends did not matter. Whether if he was away for two years or twenty, Fairy Tail would always be his home, and his friends would always be there for him. Similarly, time away from Lucy would melt away as soon as she returned. He just had to wait, get stronger, work harder, and when she came back, their time away would seem trivial.

His homecoming was so happy, there were many times during that day when he had to hide his tears. He wanted Lucy to have a homecoming like that, too. He wanted to see her eyes tear up as her friends cheered for her. He wanted to see her smile as she drank one of Mirajane's fruity drinks. He wanted to hold her in a corner of the room, like how Levy and Gajeel had been, and secretly kiss her.

He wanted Lucy to come home to Fairy Tail!

**End of Chapter 7**


	8. Determination and Depression

Chapter 8

**Determination and Depression**

**Many Weeks Later**

Natsu sat at the bar counter in the guild hall. All around him, conversations mixed and blended into a murmuring cacophony of voices. Conversation in Fairy Tail seemed to be a living thing, pulsing, swelling, ebbing, part of what made the guild such a great place to hang out between missions. Natsu ignored most of it as he watched Mirajane make him a drink. Then one voice suddenly came through all the droning noise and sharply pricked at his ears.

"I saw that Ice-Make guy out in a field today. I thought he was training, but he kept shouting something about a lion. Gave me a start!"

Natsu tilted his ear just a little in that direction. The speaker was one of the new girls to join their guild. Although she had been with them for six months, it still meant she had never gotten to meet Gray until his sudden arrival back in Magnolia.

"Oh, a lion," the girl's friend said. Natsu recognized that voice as Chico. She had been in the guild long before Lucy, although she was more a face in the background. "That'd be Lucy Heartfilia."

"Who? Oh, I heard about her. She's the girl who turned into a Celestial Spirit, right?"

"It's why Gray left, to learn how to bring her back. He failed, but he's still trying."

Natsu spun around in his chair. "He didn't fail!"

His shout made the two girls jolt and some of the crowd to fall silent.

"Gray is getting stronger," Natsu insisted loyally. "On our mission yesterday, he called out Scorpio. He's a tough fighting Spirit. I bet he'll have Lucy back before summer."

Just then, Mirajane set Natsu's drink down in front of him. "How was your mission, anyway?" It was asked purely to calm Natsu down before he did anything to scare the other guild members. She took a lighter to the alcoholic drink, and it suddenly caught on fire.

"It was easy," Natsu shrugged, and he gulped the flames rather than the alcohol. "It wasn't S-Class. Erza wants to ease Gray back into the habit. He did well, but he didn't use ice at all. Only Scorpio. I was sort of looking forward to seeing how strong his ice magic is now."

"He probably wants to focus on Celestial Spirit summoning during missions so he can get strong enough to call Lucy," Mirajane reasoned.

"Yeah," Natsu mumbled, staring at the blue flickering flame. "Just calling out Scorpio drained him. He didn't wanna admit it, but I saw how he looked afterward. It was just one person he called out, though."

"It was a Zodiac Spirit."

"But Lucy could call them out with no problem," Natsu whined.

Mirajane smiled at him. "Doesn't that just show how strong Lucy was?"

Natsu mindlessly stared at the drink as he let her statement sink in. He knew she was right. Natsu had always known that Lucy was strong with magic, sensing the vast well of magic within her body. Physically, she was still a delicate lady born into a rich family, yet her magical aptitude ran deep.

The two girls were still talking, although they whispered now.

"Don't you think Gray Fullbuster is cute?"

"Cute? He's a sex god! Whenever he takes off his pants..."

"Oh, I know what you mean. _Rawr!_"

"Oh, Chico, you're hilarious! It's a shame he's so obsessed with that Lucy person."

"He might move on."

"I hope so. I really want to ask him out, but Cana told me to forget it, he's saving himself for Lucy. Then he's always obsessing over those keys..."

Natsu simmered in tense silence and drank the flaming cup quickly. He set it down with a loud clink and paid. "I'm off," he mumbled to Mirajane. "Do you happen to know where Gray went?"

"He hasn't been by, so he's either training or still at Jellal's place."

Natsu gave her a nod and left. He figured Gray must be training again, and he did not want to interrupt. Even though Natsu really wanted to challenge Gray to a fight, fire against ice, for old time's sake, he also wanted Lucy to come back home. If Gray needed peace and quiet, then Natsu would hold himself back...for now.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Gray was meditating in a rock garden behind Erza and Jellal's house. The married couple discussed him from behind a sliding glass door, able to see him seated in the lotus position, his eyes closed, fingers together in meditation.

Softly, Jellal said, "His obsession is a little serious. It's starting to worry me."

"He's just trying to get stronger," Erza said, although she also had a tenseness to her brow.

"Trying to learn multiple forms of magic is not easy, believe me!" Jellal gave a soft sigh, thinking back to a time when he had learned numerous types of magic and rose to become one of the Ten Wizard Saints. "The problem isn't so much learning new forms. Many wizards know a little bit of different magic, like you with Requip as well as Telekinesis. The problem occurs when someone focuses on one and neglects their prime magic: in Gray's case, Ice-Make. You said that on your mission yesterday, he only used his Spirit Keys."

"He called out Scorpio. It was all he needed to do, really. Also," Erza confessed worriedly, "I think it was all he was _capable_ of doing. It really drained him."

"Celestial Spirit summoning is a type of magic that can easily drain a wizard. For someone like Gray, it's not ideal in battle. As a backup to his ice magic, sure, but not as a prime focus."

"He's only focusing on it to get stronger, Jellal."

"I know, but also around here, he never uses ice magic. If he keeps neglecting it, then an occasion comes when he has to use a major ice spell, the flow of magic will be too confused. He'll know the spell in his mind, but his heart won't be in the right place. The magic could go out of control, and that can be dangerous to him. He either needs to focus equally on both magics, or keep one as a backup."

"Maybe I should urge him and Natsu to fight more instead of always scolding them."

Jellal had to laugh. "That would work!"

"I'll tell Natsu to challenge him, then you hide Gray's keys so he can't use them. Force him to use ice magic again. For now, let him meditate. He'll keep obsessing until he brings Lucy back. You know how stubbornly loyal Fairy Tail wizards are when it comes to our nakama."

"I definitely do!" he grinned down to her. "I married one who refused to give up on me, even at my worst!" He leaned over and kissed her.

Just then, Gray leaped out of his meditation and screamed. "Lucy!"

Erza and Jellal jolted apart as they watched Gray trample around the rock garden in a panic.

"Lucy!" he shouted again. He grabbed a golden key. "Open the Gate of the Lion! Leo!" There was a swish of air, but it died away before anything happened. "Come on, dammit. Open the Gate of the Lion! Shit, I know you can open. Leo! Leo! _Lucy!_" He grabbed the key with both hands and screamed. "_Open the Gate of the Lion!_"

Suddenly, Gray collapsed onto the pebbles below, gasping suddenly and clutching his chest as he found even breathing to be painful. Erza and Jellal ran out to help him.

"Gray!" Erza shouted.

"Magic deprivation. Stop using your magic, Gray," Jellal warned. He pried the Gold Key out of Gray's fist. "It's still too much. You have to ease yourself into something that advanced. Forcing it won't help."

"I felt her," he panted, sensing an intense drain on his magic. "Lucy...I felt her. I could almost see her."

Erza and Jellal shared a worried look. They knew Gray was obsessed but...hallucinating?

"I'm not making it up," Gray growled, glimpsing the silent looks between them. "She must have tried to open the Lion's Gate but failed." He covered his tearful eyes with his arm, yet still he smiled. "She's getting stronger. I sensed it. She's really becoming the Lion!"

* * *

**In the Spirit World**

Lucy collapsed to her knees. Immediately, Aries and Virgo rushed to her side.

"That was closer, Lucy-sama," Capricorn praised. "You summoned the gate yourself and opened it a little."

"But I couldn't step through," the blonde panted heavily. "Damn, that was tiring. I think I need to sleep now. But...but I saw him. I saw Gray, for just a moment. I heard his voice shouting for me. He...he must have sensed me there."

Capricorn gave her a hand to help her up, and Virgo neatly pulled the black skirt Lucy wore into place while Aries straightened her golden hair...although Lucy's hair had taken on a much wilder appearance over the past few Spirit World days.

"What exactly did you see?" Capricorn asked.

"I saw him sitting, meditating I think. It's not a place I know, but it seemed to be in Magnolia. There was a garden, and a house, and...oh! Erza was there with Jellal. They seemed to be watching him, except..." She suddenly blushed.

"Except?" Capricorn urged.

"They...umm...were kissing," Lucy mumbled. Erza and Jellal had looked so happy, so comfortable around one another. "I miss him so much."

Capricorn smiled sympathetically. "Your love for Gray, and his for you, is strengthening you faster than you even know, Lucy-sama. However, you mustn't overdo it or you won't be strong enough to make the connection if he does try to call you out."

"I could use the rest," she admitted, and gladly she followed the others back to the Lion's Mansion.

* * *

**In the Human World**

Gray was in the same location, still emotionally torn by his near encounter. Although sensing Lucy gave him hope, it also tormented him with a sense of yearning.

"Erza, Jellal," he whispered, "could you guys...leave me alone for a while?"

"No more magic today," Jellal warned. "Wearing yourself out won't help you at all. If Lucy tries again, you must be strong enough to help her make that connection. Working together might bridge the rift between worlds."

"I'll keep that in mind," Gray nodded wearily, "but I think both of us have had enough for today."

He drifted off to a secluded area within the property Jellal owned. It was a little clearing, with a wall of bamboo plants shielding it from the rest of the house. Gray knew that Jellal and Erza used this secluded place to secretly kiss and cuddle while he lived with them—he once came out into the garden and heard them in the midst of some heavy petting back here—so he knew it was completely blocked from view. There was a bench set up under a cherry tree. Although all the flowers were now gone, it was still a shady and lovely place to sit and relax.

Gray collapsed weakly onto the bench and leaned his head back against the tree trunk. He usually tried to ignore thinking too deeply about Lucy, but now memories were surging up. That night together, their one and only time making love, was something Gray would never forget. He recalled the fierceness of her kisses, her clawing fingers, and her wild screams as he showed her just how deeply he loved her.

"Lucy..." he whispered.

There was a reason he never let himself think about these things. It made him aroused, and he felt guilty pleasuring himself without Lucy around. Cana had already teased him that he should _ease his itch_ by dating a few of the new girls in the guild, but he wanted to stay loyal. There was only one woman who could ease the craving he felt. She was a woman who kissed and made love like a wild lioness!

His hand drifted up to his face, and his fingers lightly brushed over his lips. He tried to remember how warm those kisses felt, but it was hard. Over two years had passed. He was forgetting details.

"I know I promised Jellal, but..." Gray pulled out the keyring and took one of the Gold Keys. It was not the one he really wanted to use, but—for now, at least—it was the closest he could get. With a sigh of disappointment, he called out, "Open the Gate of the Twins! Gemini!"

The two round-headed creatures poofed before him, floating in the air and dancing around in a carefree, childlike manner.

"It's Gray again," Gemi cheered.

"Gray again!" Mini echoed.

"What can we do, Gray?"

"Do! Do!"

With a shaky voice, he requested, "Look like her."

In unison, both Gemi and Mini tilted their heads to the side with wordless confusion.

"Transform into Lucy," he whispered, as if that was a taboo thing to ask. "I just...I need to see her. I need to remember her better." His fists clenched as his head dropped in anguish. "After two years being apart, I...I need to be reminded."

The two poofed, and suddenly the buxomly blonde stood in front of him. Gray's breath caught. She looked...different. He knew only a few days had passed in the Spirit World, yet he realized that this must be the _new Lucy_, with wild blonde hair that puffed out around her head like a shaggy mane. The gleam in her eyes was brighter. She wore a tiny black skirt, a black suit coat over a button-up white blouse, the first few buttons undone to show off cleavage, with a loosened tiger-striped tie hanging from around her neck in a seductively casual style. On her fingers were the gold and silver rings.

"Lucy," he whispered in awe.

"Has it been so challenging for you, Gray?" Lucy's warm voice spoke with a hint of sadness. "Are you already forgetting this face?"

He looked up at her, and for once, just a moment of weakness, he let himself pretend. "I miss you so much, Lucy. I want you with me."

Those soft hands took his face, and a gentle thumb wiped away one of his stray tears. "Your love burns so brightly. We're all inspired by it, Gray."

"Lucy," he sobbed. Gray grabbed around the thin waist, pulling that curvaceous body to him. "I need you," he shuddered. "God, I miss you!"

"Cry all you need," whispered tender words as delicate hands stroked his raven hair. "I'm here for you, Gray. I know how deeply your love flows."

He let himself be cradled in those arms. He buried his face into her stomach, hugging around her lithe body, pulling her between his knees as he wept with grief and happiness on that hard wooden bench. The feel of fingers running through his hair made him shudder with elation.

Gray looked up, his face a moist mess, and gazed at the features of Lucy's face, recalling everything. He stood up, towering over her. Those gentle brown eyes turned up to him, catching the sunlight filtering through the cherry tree leaves. He touched her face, felt the soft cheeks, and the heat of the flushed skin. Lucy's face leaned into his hand, and a sensual hum rang through the late Spring air. He could almost let himself completely succumb to the fantasy that she was here with him. He wanted...so much...just to...

"Do you really need to be kissed so desperately, Gray?" the Twins asked.

He suddenly drew back. He had hardly realized that his face had drawn so close to those pink lips.

"Oh...s-sorry," he stuttered with embarrassment.

The pink-marked hand took his cheek again and turned it back. He gazed down into those chocolaty eyes as his heart struggled between desire and knowing this was a mere fantasy.

"We stole a kiss from Lucy," the Twins told him.

Gray's eyes flashed in anger. "You _kissed_ her? Gemini!" he scolded harshly.

"We did it so we could give that kiss to you. Will you accept Lucy's stolen kiss?"

Gray's heart now burned. He wanted it...badly. He needed to feel those lips, just once. And that face looked so...inviting. Almost begging! He knew it was nothing more than a mimicked substitute, yet...he needed something. _Anything!_ Silently, feeling guilty, he nodded in response.

Gemini cradled his face. "This is Lucy's kiss to you."

Those soft lips pressed against his mouth. Gray held still, trying to remember those kisses from the past. They had felt exactly like this! Gemini was a perfect copy, after all. The way those hands drifted through his hair and tickled down his neck was precisely how Lucy had kissed him.

Then, he lost his control. He grabbed at that body and yanked it to him. Lucy's voice made a startled gasp, and his tongue thrust into that warm mouth. Rather than pull away, a gentle moan vibrated from her mouth into his. His tongue dueled within a warm and inviting entrance. Even her taste was the same! It brought up memories of passion and lust.

"Lucy," he groaned.

"G-Gray," spoke a shuddering whimper.

He stalked a step closer, and those black heeled boots took a step back until Gray could press the blonde up against the cherry tree, caging her in with his arms. Two hands suddenly clutched at his hips to pull him even closer, until he felt those soft breasts pressed against his bare chest and felt his groin crash into her body. Purely on instinct, his hips gave a thrust, pinning the warm body against the tree.

The hums and gentle gasps, the whimpers that strained out of a tense throat, even the flighty sounds of breaths huffing between kisses, catching enough air before diving back in for another deep and moist kiss, were all just as he remembered. He made another slow, deliberate thrust against those shapely hips, letting his hardening length stroke against the edge of a hip bone. Gray listened to the shuddering moan vibrating into his mouth. Hearing Lucy's hungry growl made him smirk. His hands drifted down to the hem of the blouse. Slowly, his icy fingers slipped up, gliding under the shirt and over warm, soft, tender skin. His hands kept sliding upward until he felt the underwire of a lacy bra.

There was a louder gasp, and two hands suddenly shoved him back. Gray was startled by the rejection. Lucy's face looked astonished, but also intensely flushed. The blonde strands were even more disheveled, and her lips and chin were glossy wet.

"We draw the line at fondling," Gemini warned.

It took a moment for Gray to understand what those words meant. When it dawned on him, he cried out in astonishment and covered his moist mouth, wiping the saliva away.

"Oh God, Gemini, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to molest you or anything. Are...are you okay?" he asked in real worry, looking over the mimicked body. "I didn't hurt you, did I? Oh damn, I...I didn't mean... You know I'd never do that to one of my Celestial Spirits."

"We almost wish you would," Gemini confessed softly. "But you belong to the Lion. We can't steal you away from her. Well...that's Lucy's kiss. We stole it, and now we give it to you. We won't steal from her or you again."

"Gemini," he sighed, finally seeing past the blonde hair and brown eyes. "God, I'm really sorry. I feel so terrible." He not only felt guilty at indulging in someone other than Lucy herself, but for using one of his Celestial Spirits for such an abominable act. Even though it had been Gemini's idea, still Gray felt like he must be the very worst owner in the history of Earthland!

Those plump lips, redder now from the passionate kissing, smiled gently. "You're a kind owner, Gray. Don't feel guilty about this. It was our fault for tempting you. We know we shouldn't have, but we so easily feel the love that exists between you and Lucy. We know your thoughts, your passion, and how desperately both of you want to be united again. We shouldn't take advantage of that. We wish you and Lucy happiness, truly. Now, no more kisses, but we can sit with you. Tell us everything that's happened since you arrived back in Fairy Tail. Lucy has been asking. We'll tell her everything. It'll make her happy."

Gray nodded, still shaken by the kiss. He took a seat on the bench again, and Gemini sat beside him, so close that their thighs were touching. That warm skin now made Gray feel a little awkward.

However, he felt a firmer determination now. The passion from two years ago had not dimmed in the slightest. He knew now in his heart, even if it took him two more years, or twenty, that initial ardor would never cool off. He did not need some random lady from the guild to ease his itch. He only needed—and only wanted—Lucy.

If he could make Lucy happy and think about home, think about him, giving her the same sort of goal to keep her going, then he would tell Gemini all about what had been going on around Fairy Tail, from Juvia and Lyon's engagement, to Erza expecting a baby. Maybe hearing about home and the people waiting for her would make Lucy's love stronger, too.

**End of Chapter 8**


	9. Limitations

Chapter 9

**Limitations**

Gray had begun to settle in at Jellal and Erza's home. As her pregnancy advanced, he helped out around the house. Months passed, and soon Erza had to stop doing missions. Gray helped the couple out by paying rent, buying groceries, and he even assisted Jellal in setting up the baby room. He spent most of his time at the guild, laughing with the gang, drinking matches with Cana, and of course freezing the pants off Natsu whenever the flame-brain annoyed him.

He could almost pretend everything was back to normal, except he would turn to the counter where Lucy always sat, about to ask her who was right, him or Natsu, only to see the seat empty. Or he would see a flier on the mission board that he knew would be perfect for Lucy...if only she was still there.

It wasn't quite back to normal...but Gray was determined to fix that!

All other free moments were spent training with his Celestial Spirits, summoning Plue whenever he needed company, listening to Lyra sing, or getting to know his new Spirits more. He had Auriga the Charioteer race Jet, although he lost. He went hiking with the Strauss siblings and used Pyxis to guide them. He called out Draco the Dragon purely to annoy Natsu.

When he could get a moment to himself, Gray meditated, trying to get stronger. He often tried to summon the powerful Zodiac Spirits, but it still severely drained him. Simply calling out Taurus left him magic-deprived for a week.

Jellal warned him about focusing too much on one magical form and not advancing his main Ice-Make magic, but Gray admittedly felt a little cocky. His ice magic was the best in Fiore, or at least equal to Lyon's. He had trained his whole life in how to shape magic, so he felt he could rely on that for now while he learned Celestial Spirit Summoning.

It was a decision he would soon regret.

It was late summer, the season of Leo, and Gray had already begun searching for a place to live in preparation for Erza's baby. He did not want to be around for all that, lest he get stuck changing diapers and 2 A.M. feedings. On that particular day, he was helping Jellal in the little garden behind their house. Droy had given them some zucchini seeds earlier in the year, and the plants were thriving a little too well. Gray was beginning to hate the smell of cooking zucchini.

They had just gathered another basket full of the long, green vegetables when Gray heard a strange yet oddly familiar sound. Purely on instinct, he raised his hands.

"Ice-Make: Shield!"

Jellal must have been lost in thought, worried about Erza and the baby, because he looked up belatedly just as a magic bullet cracked the outer edge of the icy shield.

Then came shouts. The both leaped to their feet, magic ready for what was obviously an attack. The invaders now leaping over the fence were vile, harsh, with foul mouths and evil glints in their eyes. Gray took up a defensive stand and began to chill the air around him. Then, on an after-thought, he pulled out his keyring instead.

"Open the Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!"

There was a poof. "Moshi-moshi!"

Jellal's hands glowed with his magic circle. "Gray, this isn't your fight. Stand down."

"The hell I will!"

"Then use Ice-Make magic, for heaven's sake! It's far more appropriate in battle, and it's what you're good at doing."

Gray stubbornly ignored that. He was getting good at Celestial Spirit summoning as well. He would prove it!

A scar-faced man in a long cloak stepped forward. "Well, well! Jellal Fernandez. It wasn't that hard to hunt you down. Do you really think you can escape into a simple domestic life after all the sins you've committed?"

Gray sneered at the man. "Who the hell's that?"

Jellal's eyes hardened, and with a soft, slightly saddened voice, he whispered, "Someone I wronged in the past. Gray, I'm charging you with guarding Erza. She's pregnant and should not be fighting. They'll aim for her, knowing she's my weakness. Please, protect her with your life. I'll deal with him."

Gray nodded firmly. "Got it. Sagittarius, follow me!" They ran into the house as the attacker began a typical bad-guy monologue. Erza was trying to move forward with her huge belly, but Gray ran up to her. "Stay here. He wants you safe."

"I can fight, Gray," she said stubbornly.

"Are you going to disobey your husband?" he challenged.

Erza scowled, then turned away and flopped on the couch.

"Jellal is strong. He can handle this," Gray said to keep her calm. The doctor had warned Erza not to get her blood pressure up at this stage of the pregnancy. "Does this happen often?" he asked, purely to distract her.

"More often than I like. People don't care if someone has received a pardon from the king. Some sins aren't so easily cleansed."

"You should at least have runes set up to protect the house."

"We do. These men must have overwritten them."

Suddenly, Sagittarius shouted, "Gray-dono!"

Gray heard the twang of arrows and screams of pain. He had to admit, it was weird to watch someone else fight for him, but there was no archer better than Sagittarius. However, even the Archer could have a blind spot. A blast of magic hit Sagittarius directly.

"No!" Gray shouted, seeing his horse-headed friend vanish with a face filled with pain. It was the first time he had actually "lost" a Spirit. He knew Sagittarius would be just fine, but seeing it happen shocked him. One day, he would have to call out Lucy. She would fight for him, just like the others. She might even take shots for him, sacrificing herself for his sake. Could he bear to watch something like that?

"Gray, snap out of it," yelled Erza.

Gray blinked out of his stunned silence. A group of men had sneaked into the house. Just as Jellal had warned, the chaos in the backyard was merely a distraction to keep Jellal away while the bulk of the gang came after Erza. When Gray heard one man order "Don't kill the lady," he realized they probably planned to use her as a hostage.

Like hell he'd allow that!

One fleet-footed villain raced forward, prepared to grab Erza while she was still on the couch, sitting, looking so vulnerable with that massive belly. With a flash of magic, a fencing saber was in Erza's hand, and before the man could stop himself, he ran right into the sword.

"Not deep enough to kill you," Erza said quietly, and pulled the bloodied sword back.

"Get her!" someone bellowed.

Gray sneered. "Aiming at a pregnant woman? How disgusting!" He pulled forward his keys again.

"Gray, what are you doing?" Erza scolded.

"Open the Gate of the Ram! Aries!" He saw the pink poof a little behind him. "Aries, shield Erza. I'll take on these guys. Ice-Make: Sword." A pale blue frozen sword appeared in his hand. "I'll try to hold back just enough so I don't destroy the house, Erza. I wouldn't want the baby room Jellal and I worked so hard on to be damaged."

"Don't get cocky," she warned.

As Gray began to fight the incoming enemies, and Aries used Wool Wall to shield Erza from any attacks, the Titania saw for herself that Gray's sword was smaller than usual. She had a feeling it was not because Gray was _holding back_. He had already called out Sagittarius, and now Aries: two Zodiac Spirits in only a few minutes. Normally, just calling out one would drain him for a day. Gray had likely picked a melee weapon because he realized his magic was low.

One icy sword...would it be enough?

* * *

**In the Spirit World**

Lucy sat on the banks of the Milky Way River, meditating, hoping she could sense the Human World once again. Capricorn schooled her methodically, while Aries stood nearby to cheer on Lucy's rigorous training. Suddenly, there was a splash, like something had dropped into the river. Through her lessons on how the Spirit World worked, she leaned that Spirits who were injured in the Human World would return in the river, which healed their wounds instantly. Still, it was a painful thing to experience, even if Spirits were immortal.

Lucy leaped up, ready to run forward to see who it was, when Aries gave a small, "Ah! I'm sorry." The Ram instantly vanished.

"Oh! I guess Gray called for her." Lucy's eyes saddened slightly. "Lucky Aries. Come on," she said to Capricorn. "Let's go see who got hurt."

Capricorn diligently followed, but his mind was elsewhere. Gray had even called out the Goat, who had tried to help him train, teaching him tactics that could increase his control over summoning magic. He wondered what was holding back Gray from summoning Leo the Lion. Granted, his focus had always been on another form of magic. Gray had apparently collapsed after summoning Taurus one day. He also was so far unable to summon Scorpio and Aquarius. Capricorn wondered if fighting-style Spirits were harder for a summoner. Likely Crux knew something about that.

In the midst of his thoughts, Lucy gasped. "Sagittarius!" She splashed out into the river and helped the Archer to the shore. By the healing glow, she saw he had been struck with a massive blast that nearly tore him in two. "What happened? Is Gray in a fight?"

"Leo...dono," he moaned, still recovering.

Suddenly, there was another splash, and Lucy saw Aries land hard into the river.

"Leo!" she sobbed. "Gray...he's in big trouble!"

Lucy felt an icy chill. Half of Aries' face was torn off and slowly recovering, but she saw from both of these two, whatever was going on back in Earthland must be truly bad.

"Gray..."

* * *

**In the Human World**

"Aries!"

Gray cursed under his breath. Not only was Aries gone, defeated by a shot right to her head, but Erza was defenseless. Gray realized he was too weak to use another key. There was hardly any magic left in him, but..maybe enough for one more spell.

"Ice-Make: Igloo!"

It created a dome around Erza, shielding her from all attacks, but it also meant she could not help him nor break out. No one would be able to break that dome except another Ice-Make wizard. However, it was far harder to cast that spell than he remembered.

Gray knew right then, that was it for him. He had no magic left at all. All he had was the sword in his hands, yet as he slashed at the invading enemies, the chips that flew off the ice sword no longer repaired instantly. The sword was just ice now, and ice...is fragile.

In the midst of fighting, he remembered Jellal warning him not to neglect his ice magic. Now he realized why. He was naturally stronger in Ice-Make than Celestial Spirit summoning. He should have been keeping up with his training. Plus, as Jellal had just said, Ice-Make made more sense in battle. If he had conserved his magic, defeating these men would have been easy. Instead, in a stubborn sense of needing to prove himself, Gray had switched to his Gold Keys.

Both Jellal and Erza had scolded him. He didn't listen.

He watched as his sword shattered into frozen shards. Gray was hit and fell to his knees. He looked defiantly up at the men now swarming at him, but he was too weak to even raise his arms. Kicks to the stomach, a heavy club to the head, a knee to the face...over and over. Gray curled down to defend himself, but the beating would not stop.

"Gray!" Erza screamed.

He looked back at her. She was safe in that igloo. Then he saw why she was screaming. A man stepped up to Gray's beaten body curled on the floor, the carpet now soaked with his blood. The enemy raised a pistol and aimed it right at Gray's head. Gray realized he was about to get shot, and he had no magic nor any strength to stop it.

_'No! No, I don't want to die. I haven't gotten to see Lucy again. I have to call her out. I have to protect all of my Celestial Spirits. If I die here, who knows what sort of owner they might end up getting. I can't die here. I have to live. I have to see her. Lucy...Lucy!'_

"Lucy," he whispered wistfully. Gray cringed as he heard the hammer cock on the gun. He wanted to see her, just once more. Hold her. Kiss her. _'I want Lucy. I want...Leo the Lion!'_

When suddenly...

"Lion's Brilliance!"

There was a burst of golden light. When Gray tried to look, the shine blinded him, making his eyes sting. He tried to shield himself from the glow, but it was like staring into the sun.

The enemy with the gun got punched so hard, he flew backward and smashed into the wall. Through the golden burst, Gray heard more hits and kicks. There were flashes of gold even brighter than the brilliant burst that blinded enemies and allies alike. Where the glowing fists and feet landed, a man shouted in pain. One by one, the enemies fell before the overwhelming strength that only the most noble of beasts could claim.

One enemy shot a gun at the igloo. Gray knew a mere bullet could not penetrate the protective barrier, but still he shouted.

"Erza!"

Instead of the redhead, Gray heard another woman shout, "Regulus Impact!"

The enemy was blown out the glass porch door, shattering it, and smashed into a trellis in the garden, taking out three enemies Jellal had been fighting, including the leader. The blue-haired man was left with no one to fight, stunned at the intense magic he sensed in that brief moment. In amazement, Jellal gawked back at the partially destroyed house.

Gray watched in awe as the smoke cleared, the light faded, and finally he could see his rescuer. The hair stuck out like the mane of a lion, golden like the sun, the clothes impeccable as a noblewoman, gleaming rings on the delicate fingers, and a smile that would have shamed the glorious gleam of the heavens.

Gray did not need to see up close; he already knew who it was. Only one person in the world could use the magic of Regulus like that. His brain just refused to believe it until he saw her with his own eyes.

"Lucy?" he whispered in disbelief.

Sure enough, Lucy smiled down at him as she shook out her fist, then straightened her suit coat with a regal flare.

"I sensed my owner was in dire trouble. I guess it gave me the strength to break through the gate on my own."

"Lucy!" Gray cried out. He scrambled up from the ground in such an eager rush, he slipped twice on ice. He ran forward and crashed into her arms, knocking her back a couple steps.

"Sheesh, I'm happy to see you, too," she laughed, amused at his enthusiasm. Then she felt him shivering and heard sobs buried in her shoulder. She sighed and stroked Gray's head. "It's been a long time for you. I'm so sorry."

"Lucy," he wailed, squeezing her close. "You're here. You're really here!"

"Yes, I'm here, Gray. I suppose this is just proof that the barrier between Human and Spirit crumbles to nothing before the power of our love."

Erza scoffed softly. "She somehow inherited Loke's awful pickup lines."

Gray hardly cared. Just hearing her voice was a miracle. He crushed her into his embrace. "I don't want to lose you ever again."

"You never lost me, Gray. I've been by your side the whole time."

"But I couldn't see you," he wept. "I couldn't hold you, not like this!"

"I know," she sighed. "I missed you, but I'm sure you miss me far more. Sadly, I still have to live in the Spirit World most of the time, but I want to be with you as often as I can from now on."

"We'll both work hard," Gray agreed, sniffling up his tears. "That way we can be together." His hands ran over her body, touching all he could, hoping he could convince himself that she was real.

Lucy hummed as his frigid fingers found areas that sent chills down her. She had missed his cold touch that made her feel so hot. "I can't believe it's been this many years." She forced him back and held his cheeks to gaze at him. "You look so different," she said in awe.

"You're one to talk!" he chuckled, running his hands through her wild hair.

Then she realized his face was bruised, and he was bleeding where the enemies had hit and kicked him. "You're injured."

"That can wait," he said dismissively. At that moment, Gray felt no pain at all. He took her cheeks into his hands, holding that face he had wanted to see again for two years. "God, I missed you!"

"Same here," she whispered wistfully.

They attacked one another at the same time, kissing with burning passion that had been building up for too long. Although to Lucy, she had seen Gray only a few days ago, she saw how the years had changed him, and she felt in his kiss that he had mentally suffered without her. She tried to imagine his situation. To wait that long, to work that hard, to train so many months... What sort of person did that kind of thing except a man deeply in love!

"Ahem!"

Their kiss broke off abruptly as they realized they were not alone.

"Oh! Erza, I'm sorry." Gray swished his hand, and the protective igloo vanished in a shower of sparkling ice.

Jellal had been waiting by the busted out wall, watching the reunion with thoughts of his own, remembering just how he once felt after being reunited with Erza after seven years. It wasn't quite that long for these two, but it was still hard knowing the other person could never comprehend the length of time spent all alone. Now Jellal rushed forward and helped Erza to stand. When she rose, the bulge of her belly came into full view.

"Oh my gosh! Erza!" Lucy squealed, running forward and immediately touching the large stomach. "Gemini told me about this, but...wow, you look ready to pop."

While Lucy and Erza shared girl-talk, Gray approached Jellal seriously. "Is it safe now?"

"Lucy's attack took out the last of them. The army is on its way to arrest the attackers. I used Mystogan's sleeping trick on them, so they'll be out for a while." He looked over at his wife and her blonde friend. "I'm shocked you managed to summon her after using so much magic already."

Gray shook his head. "Lucy came on her own."

"Is that so? Lucy."

She stopped chatting and looked over with a hum.

Jellal smiled warmly. "Congratulations. You're truly as strong as a lion."

"Aww, thanks," she giggled. "Really, it was Gray's feelings that made it possible for me to lock on to him and break through the gate. Also, I heard him think of me as Leo. That somehow helped."

"Fascinating," Jellal hummed. "So, thinking of you as a Celestial Spirit, not as a Human, is the key?"

"No, his intense desire to live and his firm emotions are what finally bridged the gap. Love makes a Celestial Spirit stronger. After experiencing how to do it, I'm pretty sure I can open the gate on my own now, or at least when he's in trouble. My duty is to protect him, so when his life is in danger, I can always arrive, whether he calls upon me or not. That is the unique authority of Leo the Lion."

"You must stay for dinner," Erza insisted. "We're having zucchini casserole."

Gray looked ready to vomit at the mention of what was quickly becoming his most hated vegetable.

"I would but..." Lucy looked over to Gray, silently letting him know what she had in mind.

Gray came up and held her hand. "I think we'll spend the evening alone."

"I see," Erza nodded. "Still, you should eat at some point. Sex can be quite vigorous."

Everyone, especially Jellal, blushed crimson at her candor.

"_ERZA!_"

**End of Chapter 9**


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